Lower cost of ownership, standardisation throughout the organisation, easy systems upgrades and faster implementation are several compelling reasons for companies to outsource their desktop computing systems says Klaas Lammers, director of .
"IDC surveys have found that companies accept that their desktop technology costs will continue to grow," says Lammers. "However, for as long as companies fail to recognise that the cost of a desktop needs to be controlled at all points and not just at the hardware level, their costs will not only rise, but will spiral out of control," he emphasises.
E-commerce, the Internet and the need for access to customer information by the entire organisation have compelled larger IT departments to view the desktop system as highly strategic to the organisation, says Lammers. "This attention to the desktop issue can be attributed to an acceptance that serious computing is now firmly in the domain of the desktop and no longer confined to centralised high-end servers," he explains.
"Becoming e-enabled and delivering superior services to customers are now regarded as matters of urgency in many organisations and have sparked a massive wave of wholesale outsourcing of desktop systems," he reports.
Lammers adds that the desktop PC has long been regarded as an as-needed purchase, which has resulted in a legacy of unmatched PCsbeing purchased with price as the main, if not the only, consideration. "Desktop computer pricing is fairly uniform across brands and most desktop solution providers can supply systems at about the same cost as any direct vendor. "Corporates should look further than price and understand that the cost of the desktop goes beyond hardware," he recommends.
"Typically a large organisation will find itself with hundreds or thousands of PCs each with its own hardware configuration, its own operating system version, software applications and sometimes pirated software, but absolutely no track of what the asset consists of. Only now have organisations really understood that the bulk of the cost of these systems lies in the software and services supporting them."
Services and software that companies should factor into their desktop management systems include:
- software licencing management
- regular software and hardware upgrades
- full configuration of new systems
- desktop support
- warranty fulfilment
- technology renewal planning
"We disclose our margins up front, so our clients know what we are making on hardware. As their maintenance partner it is far easier for us to carry a spares inventory for a standardised environment. We also know how many engineers need to be made available and what skills set they require. Highvolumes coupled with a transparent relationship with a client result in a profitable association," he concludes.
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