What is Device Management Costing Your Business?

20 November 2023

What is Device Management Costing Your Business?

From desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones, businesses are investing more than ever on the devices their employees need to perform their work. More laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones are being sold than ever before and managing these devices through their lifecycle accounts for significant IT time and expense, but what is the overall cost and how do your device management choices affect the business?

 

Direct Cost 

In modern workplaces, almost every employee needs a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Analysts at Gartner assessed the cost per device at $7,000 to $13,000 per device through its lifetime. Upfront cost varies depending on the type of machine, but whether you’re supporting ten users or a hundred, acquiring machines represents significant enough capital expense to disrupt cashflow. 

 

Support 

Businesses in every industry are facing unprecedented pressures from market disruption and new competition. It is also a time of opportunity for those able to thrive in the new ‘digital everything’ world. The IT department plays a critical role in business transformation, so their time is more precious than ever. 

Supporting and managing devices involves many time-consuming, often manual processes. It is a simple equation: when IT staff are spending days every week on providing, updating, patching, securing and monitoring devices, not to mention providing user support, they cannot be focusing on business growth and efficiency activities. 

 

Productivity 

We’ve all had a time when we’ve battled to complete an urgent task, only to have the device we are using slow us down or stop altogether. The right device for the right user at the right time helps everyone to work at peak efficiency, and creates a professional impression with customers. 

Having the right device also affects morale. Leaders in the laptop space, HP, cite the right combination of mobility, cloud-readiness, durability and performance as key priorities, along with matching the right form factor to the user’s role.

Having the right software matters as well. Users need access to productivity tools such as the Microsoft Office suite, such as Word, Teams and Outlook. They may also need custom apps, designed specifically to support unique business processes. The IT team needs time for imagining and creating these apps.

 

Security 

In a Ponemon Institute study, 57% of businesses experiencing a breach said it was caused by a vulnerability for which a patch could have been applied. Whether for core systems or for user devices, applying patches often relies on manual processes. This is time-consuming for busy IT departments, but any delay puts the organisation at risk of cyber crime. Although security is a priority for any organisation, time pressures often interfere. 

 

The as-a-service alternative 

When we noticed that customers found device management to be costly, challenging and time-consuming, we developed our Devices on Demand service. With no up-front capital cost, customers instead opt for a pay-as-you-go service, wrapped in one easy monthly bill, that includes a choice of HP devices suited to most business needs. 

Devices on Demand is a complete service package, so we do everything from personalising individual machines and migrating user data, to providing standard business hour support. The machines come with the Microsoft Office 365 suite, so users have their favourite productivity tools ready. Our skilled technicians perform monitoring and updates remotely, with security patches promptly applied. Essentially, everything needed for the user to have the right, fully-operational machine available to support their work. We even bring demonstration devices to your workplace, so you can try before you buy! 

Providing, supporting and managing devices can place strain on a busy IT department, and on your budget. Worse, it can cost the chance to grasp new business opportunity. Opting for our Devices on Demand service gives back hours that can be spent on improving efficiency, reducing costs elsewhere, and developing new services. 

Time to free up the IT team and avoid missing the opportunity to lower your total cost of device management? Contact our Devices on Demand team today.

Back to Articles

Other Recent Articles

Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More