FCC Innovation launched Tech-as-a-Service (TaaS) this week, and it’s an exciting step for us. We’ve been a trusted partner for companies across East Anglia (and the rest of the UK!) for nearly thirty years. Now, we’ve built on that trust to provide the office technology you need besides your Xerox device (or even without a Xerox device!).
In case it’s new to you, TaaS is a way of subscribing to your technology – often for just pence per person or per pupil per day. Instead of an up-front capital investment, we offer a simple contract with regular monthly or quarterly billing. This optimises the use of your IT budget and simplifies your asset management.
What’s more, it’s flexible. Say right now you need five ‘seats’ – laptop, phone, additional monitor for each, perhaps – but in six months you want to hire another couple of people, and they need a Mac each for design work. No problem. Adjust your contract when the time comes, and ensure your staff have the best available equipment for the job at just the right time.
A similar contract could work for your school – 30 iPads and five classroom PCs? Sorted. Maybe you have remote workers, and need ten bundles including laptop, docking station and a desktop printer? Done. Field staff spending large amounts of time away from the office? Our pleasure – we’ll provide the smartphones and/or tablets that make them the most productive they can be. It’s a simple model that works for offices, learning spaces, care homes, children’s centres and more.
The range of products available is enormous, including all the brands you’d expect: from HP to Lenovo, Apple to Samsung, Microsoft Surface to Chromebook. Neither is it just the hardware; we can bundle in your software and services as part of your subscription.
It sounds great, but does it extend to being greener? We try to think about sustainability through the entire lifecycle of a product. Being part of Tech-as-a-Service means you can be very efficient in terms of the tech you need. Moving to ‘as a Service’ in general brings benefits because there is less wastage than in traditional ownership models – better control of infrastructure, fewer under-utilised or no longer capable devices cluttering your cupboards.
TaaS also contributes to a more efficient, circular and low carbon economy. What is a circular economy, you ask? It’s what we’re driving towards from, traditionally, a linear economy. In a linear economy, we make things, use them, then destroy them. In a circular economy that’s disrupted and instead of destroying goods, we want to recirculate those things, either as they stand, by reusing their components or recycling them into something else. In effect, we want to get more life from something instead of burying it underground and starting again.
So how does TaaS fit in? Well, it lets the user pay only for what the need, at the time that they need it, and then return it when they no longer have a use for it. Once returned, the devices are wiped and then repurposed where that technology is still in demand. Hardware can also be used for parts to repair other items or recycled. TaaS customers pay neither the high cost of ownership nor the costs of responsible disposal.
Effectively, TaaS offers you services on-demand. We’ve got used to getting what we want when we want it (within reason!) and having access to – instead of ownership of – the things we use. Other industries have already moved this way. Many of us now subscribe to entertainment instead of buying DVDs and CDs and lease our cars while they suit us instead of buying them outright. Why should technology be any different?
It’s worth us noting Tech Data Renew because it’s not just TaaS equipment that can be recirculated. When talking to us about moving to Tech-as-a-Service, we’ll be able to discuss what you do with your old, paid-for hardware. Many of us have old devices at home and work that need proper disposal. We can value your old laptops and phones etc. and put that towards your new contract – it’s surprising what old equipment can be worth.
Once a price is agreed, we organise the collection of those items before inspection, validation and certified data-wiping (for which a certificate will be provided). The re-certified kit will be made available where it makes a big difference to somebody else, extending the life of old products, or by using the parts to create something new – both of which help reduce your carbon footprint.
After you move to an ‘as a Service’ technology model, you will be subscribing to the tech, and therefore it will be returned when it has reached the end of your refresh cycle. This keeps costs down throughout your contract and gives you maximum flexibility, allowing you to adapt as your needs change and avoid big bills. It also circumvents the prospect of sweating out old hardware that is no longer is up to the task to try and squeeze out the last of your investment.
By shortening the refresh cycle, TaaS helps businesses ensure their technology drives down energy consumption. Our partners Xerox, too, have been doing this with print devices. A new MFP will generally be significantly more energy-efficient than an older one and will come with up-to-date environmental certifications, for example.
Businesses that subscribe to their tech stay agile, adaptable and flexible. They can provide the technology their employees demand to stay productive and up-to-date without a significant initial outlay, and they contribute to a greener, more circular economy. What’s more, they simplify their asset management and may need less input from their IT teams to manage everything.
Sound good? Contact us today.
