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If you own a business that needs IT services in San Antonio, you have probably heard of Hardware as a Service (HaaS). Actually, it has been around for a long time— it just has a new moniker that aligns it with other IT options such as Software as a service (SaaS) or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). What exactly is HaaS and how is it going to benefit your company?
What is Hardware as a Service?
With the HaaS model, you don’t purchase hardware for your business; rather, the hardware belongs to your managed service provider (MSP). Your company leases this equipment from the MSP at a flat rate per month. There is a service level agreement (SLA) in place that defines what each side is responsible for.
Benefits of HaaS
HaaS has been around for many years in the form of leasing hardware, and it remains popular because of the following benefits:
- Keeps capital costs under control – Buying hardware gets expensive, and for an SMB, that capital outlay can be too much. By leasing the equipment instead, the initial outlay is much lower. The leasing cost is reduced to a simple monthly expense. Plus, that expense can be taken as an operating cost, which can be beneficial when tax time comes around.
- Removes obsolescence – One of the problems with buying hardware is that it will become obsolete within just a few years as processor speeds and hardware capabilities increase. When you use the HaaS model, you remove this problem completely. The hardware gets upgraded automatically as part of the agreement between your business and your IT services provider in San Antonio.
- Improves maintenance and support – Trying to troubleshoot and maintain obsolete equipment becomes challenging over time. Maintenance costs are included in the HaaS model. That means the hardware receives regular maintenance which can prevent crashes and other system critical problems.
- Offers scalability – One of the major costs an SMB encounters is the need to buy new hardware when they bring in new employees. With the HaaS model, that initial outlay for each new employee becomes minimal. It is just a slight increase in the amount paid for the lease each month. So, as your company grows, your capital costs don’t explode. On the other hand, if you need to decrease the size of your company, you can scale your hardware needs down.
- Enhances security – Besides your desktops and servers, HaaS agreements usually cover your network and security hardware. You may find that you need to upgrade your network security appliances to a more robust model. You can do that quite easily with a HaaS agreement in place. This will keep your business data safe from all sorts of attacks.
What Should You Do to Get HaaS?
Your IT services provider in San Antonio should include HaaS as an option. It will help you manage your IT expenses, improve your infrastructure, scale your business, and enhance your security, all in one shot. If you want to learn more about how HaaS can help your business, contact us at ICS Communications. We have the experience and expertise to manage all your IT needs.
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.