OMG, LOL, DVR, PDF, BRB, FAQ, JPEG, SaaS… in 2017 it seems as if we are living in a world of acronyms. Whether you are texting a friend or talking around the water cooler in the office we need to be up to date on what all these mean. In the tech world, we now have DaaS. To further confuse matters, in some cases, DaaS is Data as a Service, others Desktop as a Service.  In this case we are discussing in terms of Device as a Service. Like all members of the (aaS) family, DaaS builds on the concept that the product can be provided on demand to the user regardless of geographic or organizational separation of provider and consumer.

Device as a Service (DaaS) can be a bit confusing considering Desktop as a Service (DaaS) already exists. Some may argue the industry is just jumping in line with the “as a service”. But they are completely different. Desktop as a service is a highly-secured virtualized desktop whereas the DaaS we will talk about is primarily the hardware. A monthly fee is paid for each device used and companies choose the length of their service.

In a DaaS model, hardware is refreshed as necessary, resulting in less waste, as well as less workplace disruption. IT organizations can work more in “Business as Usual” mode since hardware refreshes are executed as minimally invasive procedures, replacing what doesn’t work exactly when it needs replacing. DaaS allows your business to thrive under an Evergreen IT model, dispensing without the disruption of big bang rollouts and instead allowing rolling, ongoing migrations.

DaaS also contributes significantly to the security of your IT environment. Since hardware is replaced on an individual basis, detailed and thorough security checks can be made to new hardware before it enters your environment. Nothing gets lost in the shuffle because DaaS prevents the shuffle in the first place. DaaS also allows you to select the devices you need when you need them; no more paying for machines that no longer support your business model.

Device as a Service is often referred to when talking about computers but it is also used in the phone industry. Whereas voice and data used to be viewed in separate realms, and separate networks, Voice Over IP and Hosted PBX services have intertwined the two.  So it only makes sense that phones are now being viewed as a device available in the service model.

VoIP phones are expensive, and along with the computer, is one of the first necessary pieces of hardware for new employees.  But when a company downsizes, or adopts a more mobile/remote workforce for some of their employees, having a closetful of boxes with old phones is not an uncommon site. That is a trememndouse amount of CapEx spent and wasted.

The biggest benefit to having your phones on a subscription model is having the ability to flex up or down depending on the number of employees in need of desk phones. Whether you pay a monthly fee for the phone itself, or you pay a monthly fee per person for a Hosted PBX that comes with a phone, you carry much less risk, and only are consuming what you need. This not only helps the ongoing operational efficiency, but could be just the service model your company needs to update aging phone systems without extreme capital expenditures.

Learn more about AltiGen’s MaxCloud service which includes Polycom phones as part of the monthly subscription rates.