MARKET REPORT DaaS
DaaS: the natural next step?
We all know how cloud-based UC technology has revolutionised our industry. Is Device as a Service (DaaS), the
natural evolution for the channel? Comms Business investigates
Mobile phone, music,
and TV subscription
services with monthly
contracts have triggered
a new wave of buying trends.
is shift to staggered payments
instead of one upfront cost is a
compelling option for a business
world looking to hold onto
cash. As such, DaaS is playing
a bigger role in how businesses
procure and deploy technology.
Devices have a residual value
and DaaS ensures companies
maximise their assets. Resellers
dovetailing DaaS with Software
as a Service (SaaS), are already
reaping impressive rewards.
Headset and telephony
buy-back schemes have been
successfully operating for many
years and trade-in programmes
encourage and oset the cost of
new equipment. On the other
hand, today’s Covid world
means there is more emphasis
on reducing the spread of
germs. Device hygiene and
cleaning programmes represent
a great way to increase recurring
revenue, improve equipment
performance and build stronger
bonds with your customers. To
counteract potential issues, data
cleansing is vital.
When asked why DaaS
makes sense for customers in
2020, Gareth omas, head of
CCD mobility and desktops
at Fujitsu, said moving from
a capital expenditure to an
operating expenditure is great
for customers to manage the
cost of IT deployments to
provide clear nancial stability.
He added, “To keep
device productivity high, we
recommend users are kept up
to date with modern device
technology giving the user
speed, agility and most of all,
security. As part of all modern
DaaS oerings you can spread
the cost of your device &
support over 3-5 years, with
the option at the end to refresh
the device, return them or keep
at the same rate with a new
agreement. Fujitsu take this
one step further with a exible
but full deployment including
device selection, pre deployment
management, physical
deployment engineering suite,
in life support and recycling
that is 100% customisable.”
is chimed with the view of
Mark Skelton, chief technology
ocer at IT solutions and
support specialist CANCOM.
He said, “Businesses are
struggling for working capital,
so moving to an operational
expenditure model makes sense.
Organisations can invest in the
technology they need to enable
a modern mobile workforce
without the upfront capital
spend. In addition, companies
are constantly changing shape,
reducing or increasing head
counts. is turbulent market is
ideal for a DaaS model that can
scale and contract in line with
the workforce demands.”
Adopting DaaS
For resellers considering
adopting a DaaS model, it is
important to understand the
opportunities and the pitfalls.
John Grin, head of services &
alliances at Fujitsu explained,
“With Fujitsu it couldn’t be
easier, we break this down into
three simple packages making
it easier to quote. We can even
create a reseller specic package
to use time and time again.
We’ll work with the partner
to ensure we can manage their
capabilities as part of their
oering and ll the gaps with
the Fujitsu end to end PCaaS
oering. We will also work with
the end user’s IT department
to ensure we manage their full
expectations whilst keeping to
timelines, but they only pay for
the service the need. An extra
benet is that if the end user
adopts the ability to go down
the OPEX route, the reseller
will get paid up front on the
whole opportunity.”
Skelton commented,
“Adopting a DaaS oer with
a reseller can be challenging.
It requires a cultural shift to
a service centric model and
many VARs of old have not
operated in this manner.
Additional roles within the
resellers are required to adopt
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36 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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