Device-as-a-Service (DaaS), an evolution of the leasing model, that bundles hardware and services, has seen rapid uptake in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many companies to enable their employees to work remotely, according to a new Strategy Analytics report, “COVID-19 a Catalyst for Business Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) Adoption”. With the sudden spike in working from home, DaaS makes it easier to acquire pre-configured devices with a service and support wrap, that are ready for workers to do their jobs and enable a large number of at-home workers that companies didn’t have prior to the pandemic.
The demand for DaaS is growing, among both customers and providers. Major PC OEMs have evolved their DaaS approach over several years, as have mobile carriers.
According to Andrew Brown, executive director of Enterprise and IoT at Strategy Analytics, and Gina Luk, principal analyst of Mobile Workforce Strategies, co-authors of the report: “DaaS combines a traditional leasing structure bundled with service and support and is increasingly relevant for companies with an increasing number of employees working from home. With the acceleration of digitalization and WFH policy, we believe a lot of enterprise customers are embracing the DaaS approach as they are able to buy devices preconfigured with software and security support. This frees up valuable time (and cost) for IT departments, and the need to constantly keep up with the rapid changes to devices, operating systems, and software.”
Eric Smith, director of Connected Computing Devices at Strategy Analytics, co-author of the report says: “There is also room for carriers to embrace DaaS on a wider scale to provide 5G connectivity for PCs. This could further monetize their 5G investments and build toward a longer strategy of normalizing the need for always-on, secure cellular connectivity in notebook PCs.”
