How Managed Deployments Deliver the Devices Users Need
Device as a Service has evolved into end-to-end device delivery and management.
The computing power that the average person walks around with in the form of smartphones, tablets and laptops is astonishing. But for many users, it’s not enough.
The problem is that, as the quality and power of devices increase, so do the expectations of end users. Today, the device needs of executives, sales staff and back-office workers are more demanding than ever (and still growing), and even well-organized, sophisticated IT shops may have trouble keeping up.
Of course, the proliferation of devices has brought huge benefits — such as improved communication, better access to data and remote work capabilities — to many organizations. Along with these benefits, though, come challenges for IT shops. For instance, many users want to be able to use multiple devices for the same work. This not only requires organizations to procure and manage more devices than before, but also places pressure on them to produce a consistent experience across device types for users. Users demand constant connectivity and the ability to collaborate in real time with their colleagues around the world. On top of everything, users want access to the latest devices, and many want the ability to choose their own device. A managed endpoint or Device as a Service engagement is a powerful way for organizations to deliver the devices users demand.
$66 billion
Estimated amount of global spending on Device as a Service by 2023
Source: MarketWatch, “Device As A Service (DaaS) Market: Industry Analysis and Forecast (2018-2023),” September 2019
Challenges to Device Deployments
Survey data shows that device management continues to be an area of significant struggle for many organizations. In a recent IDG survey, nearly all IT decision-makers (94 percent) said that the quality of digital interactions among people, business processes and technologies has a direct impact on workforce productivity. However, 30 percent of respondents admitted that their environments weren’t fully optimized to create the most productive end-user experience, and 44 percent said that their organizations do not measure the quality of the user experience.
The challenges of modern device environments, though, extend far beyond heightened user expectations. Many organizations struggle with fundamentals such as deploying and configuring devices, supporting and maintaining endpoints, providing security and retiring devices at end of life.
While these may be relatively basic tasks for a small organization supporting only a few device types, these functions can quickly become unwieldy and complex in environments with hundreds or thousands of employees using a wide array of smartphones, tablets and laptops. It’s even common for companies to struggle with simply financing timely refreshes of their device environments.
The irony is that, for most organizations, device configuration and management is not an effective use of IT staffers’ valuable time anyway. It’s true that organizations can have a positive impact on their bottom lines by empowering employees to be as productive as possible with the right mix of apps and devices.
However, it is also true that device environments can feel like a distraction for IT professionals, whose time is often better invested in strategic projects than in replacing broken phone screens or configuring laptops for employees. When IT shops are overburdened by complex device environments, they lack the time they need to work on IT initiatives that create value for the business. This ultimately leads to an overall increase in costs and waste.
Managed Service for Devices
To strike a balance between the competing priorities of users’ pressing needs and IT staffer bandwidth, many organizations have turned toward a managed engagement, such as CDW’s Managed Endpoint Anywhere. It gives organizations the opportunity to offload IT support tasks, allowing IT staff to tackle mission-critical initiatives.
Additionally, some customers want a comprehensive solution that gives them the ability to maintain a three-year device refresh cycle, ensuring users have the most current device capabilities. In these cases, customers should consider a Device as a Service subscription model.
While DaaS was once primarily considered a mere financing method for smartphones, tablets and laptops, when coupled with device support, it becomes an end-to-end device delivery and management model that provides customers with a single price for both the device and its support.
To learn more about how a managed service can improve your device deployments, read CDW’s white paper “The Value of Managed Endpoint Services.”
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