Business opportunities


Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS): today’s provision model?


The ‘as-a-Service’ model of technology provision dates back to a con- ference in 2005, with the term Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) coined a year later by Nick Carr. The term describes a service provision model for hardware that is defined differently in managed services and grid computing contexts. In managed services, HaaS is similar to licens- ing. In grid computing, HaaS is a pay-as-you-go model. The pay-as- you-go model has now been embraced by the AV sector.


‘Hardware as a Service’ has now been available for more than a decade, but it is


still


relatively unusual in AV and therefor attracting headlines. HaaS is now a rapidly growing managed service. The primary adopters have been SMBs with a critical need to leverage tech- nology for a competitive edge, but without, necessarily, the resources or cash-flow neces- sary to keep up with technolo- gy changes through traditional purchasing methods. The


realisation is gradual-


ly spreading that the use of obsolete technology can be even more costly, especially to a small or mid-sized organiza- tion. It can lead to poor produc- tivity, lower revenue and lost data. HaaS is essentially, with a package of maintenance and support services, combined with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) from a managed services provider that covers all aspects of technology provision, often including substitution of hard- ware when a new generation becomes available.


Benefits From the


user’s perspective,


not having to part with a lot of money upfront for the next hardware upgrade is an obvious benefit. HaaS effectively con- verts a large capital expense


The benefit to the user of de- ploying the most recent tech- nology is shared by the solution provider. Central to the HaaS model is a high level of service integrity and operational reli- ability. Under the


traditional


model of purchasing hardware, maintenance is neglected due to costs. With a HaaS solution, the equipment and service is included in the SLA.


Scalability


Another major user benefit of HaaS is its built-in scalabili- ty. As the technology require- ment grows or changes, HaaS agreements often allow users to integrate any number of new components. If the opposite occurs and, for some reason the requirement reduces, it is sometimes possible


to scale


down a HaaS solution rather than being stuck owning un- needed appliances.


The decision as to when a piece of hardware is obso- lete is now not just a matter of performance. Compliance with emerging standards and security sometimes requires both hardware and software updates. This is often easier to accomplish with HaaS, after all how much demand would you anticipate for non-compliant, insecure second-hand hard- ware?


Box 1:


SMART Classroom as a Service (ClaaS)


Box 2 - Surface as a Service


Instead of having to make a large capital expenditure to buy and own education technology, ClaaS allows schools to benefit from the latest hardware and related software through affordable monthly or quarterly payments.


into a more manageable operat- ing expense. This frees up your cashflow and adds the working capital critical to many orga- nizations. Fixed monthly costs also makes technology and as- sociated maintenance support costs predictable budget items. Those HaaS agreements not only repair or replacement of broken hardware, but also pro- vide upgrades to keep the tech- nology state-of-the-art. It’s a bit of a truism, but: “You can't ex- pect to be successful in tomor- row’s business landscape using yesterday’s tools.”


These and other benefits of HaaS spread from the typical SMB scenarios


to corporate


and even public sector envi- ronments – anywhere, in fact, that current technology at pre- dictable Opex costs. Nowhere is this requirement more appar- ent than in tightly controlled areas like education (see Box 1 below), but with the rising pop- ularity of HaaS as diverse as IT, telecommunications and even car ownership, even the cash- rich corporate sector is seeing an upsurge in interest (see Box 2 below).


In September of 2015, SMART Technologies intro- duced Classroom as a Service (ClaaS). With SMART ClaaS, UK schools will be able to obtain their education tech- nology needs including inter- active displays, collaborative learning software, profession- al development and support from SMART and other best in class vendors, all under one easy-to-manage service agree- ment that can be tailored to meet budgetary requirements. Instead of having to make a large capital expenditure to buy and own education technology, ClaaS will allow schools to benefit from the lat- est hardware and related soft- ware and support by making affordable monthly or quarter- ly payments over the length of a defined subscription term. Abbots Bromley Interna- tional School in Staffordshire is one of the first to trial the ClaaS offering through SMART’s UK managed ser- vice partners. Abbots Brom- ley School wanted to offer its diverse student base a state- of-the-art technology facility. “We knew it was critical for our school to offer a compre- hensive technology experience in order to attract internation- al students,” says Victoria Musgrave, Executive Head of Abbots Bromley School. “With SMART’s technology supported by ClaaS, we can showcase these facilities and engage with prospective stu- dents and their parents vir-


P14 AV News April 2017


tually. Without ClaaS, there would be no possibility for us to raise the funds or invest in the state-of-the-art solution we have in place today.”


ClaaS is designed to help schools:


• Maximise their budget with savings that can amount to as much as 40 percent when compared to an outright pur- chase


• Release capital from their ex- isting IT assets to help finance their new ClaaS subscription


• Receive ongoing servicing, training and maintenance which is covered by the agree- ment, ensuring schools and teachers


get the most from technology


• Add more equipment and services as and when required


• Potentially include other equipment and services such as; tablets, PCs, printers and Wi-Fi from other best of breed suppliers


• Build in a regular refresh to ensure they always have the latest learning technology


• Flexible – users can choose a convenient term length (for example: 3, 4 or 5 years) with the ability to renew the con- tract, negotiate a new contract or end the contract at the end of the original term


Microsoft Surface Hub is now available via a subscription-based model, including initial investment and configuration costs.


cent of respondents expecting to move to subscription-based IT procurement over the next three years. To meet this demand, Maver-


ick has joined with Microsoft’s Surface Hub Value Added Dis- tributors Program for Opportu- nity Resellers (VAD-OR). The Surface Hub VAD-OR Program allows select Surface Hub dis- tributors to deliver the same quality services to Opportunity Resellers, without the typical requirements for building a long-term transactional busi- ness.


“This service is a real chan- nel game changer for the collaboration market. Many companies offer various forms of leasing; our process will be far more sophisticated and ac- cessible. We will be kicking off this service in partnership with Microsoft this year on a coun-


By the end of 2016, nine months since the launch, of Surface Hub Maverick, the dis- tributor announced shipments to over 2,000 customers in 24 markets. Commenting on the sales at the time commented, “the demand for Surface Hub has been incredible, leading us to introduce new ways for our partners and customers and application developers to take advantage of everything that Surface Hub has to offer.” Surface Hub is now available via a subscription-based mod- el, including initial investment and configuration costs. Re- cent research from IDC shows that businesses have a clear appetite for this type of sub- scription model. With 73 per-


try by country basis to offer Surface Hub as a Service. This will enable resellers to access a subscription model then only have the Hub in place for as long as they need. The suc- cessful implementation of this type of program will create a far quicker sales cycle with more sophisticated solutions,” explained Jon Sidwick, VP of Maverick Europe


Microsoft has also intro- duced the ‘Surface Hub Try and Buy Program’ which start- ed in February. This will allow customers to try with Hubs for 30 days before requiring a commitment to purchase a larger set of devices.


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