IT Support & Helpdesk
Device as a Service
Laptops, handled end to end.
Device as a service, DaaS, means your laptops and desktops arrive as a monthly cost per device instead of a capital purchase, with configuration, support, replacement and disposal included. happier IT provides it for Canadian organizations of roughly 15 to 200 people.
Who it's for
The problems this actually solves.
Buying laptops is easy. Everything around buying laptops is what costs the time.
The unplanned capital hit
Nothing needs replacing for two years, then eleven machines age out at once. Spreading it monthly turns a board request into an ordinary operating line.
The estate nobody can describe
Whatever was on sale each year, in four models, with different warranties and unknown ages. No two machines behave the same, so support gets slower.
The new starter with no laptop
A start date confirmed, a machine ordered late, a first week spent borrowing one. A lead-time problem, not a setup problem.
The cupboard of old machines
Nobody is certain they were wiped, so nobody disposes of them. They sit holding company data, doing nothing useful.
What's included
What is in the monthly cost.
The device is the smallest part of this. The lifecycle around it is the service.
-
A standard, chosen once
Two or three approved models covering ordinary and demanding roles, reviewed yearly. A standard estate is quicker to support and easier to budget for.
-
Built before it ships
Applications, settings, disk encryption and device management applied before the laptop leaves us, so a new starter signs in and works.
-
Delivered to the person
Shipped to the office or a home address, with instructions someone non-technical can follow and a number to call if they cannot.
-
Support and hardware failure covered
Supported like any other machine, and when hardware fails it is repaired or replaced under the arrangement rather than becoming an unexpected purchase.
-
A refresh cycle you can see coming
Machines replaced on an agreed schedule, typically three to four years, so age is not discovered through performance complaints.
-
Secure disposal, with a record
At end of term the device is collected, its storage wiped or destroyed to a recognised standard, and you get a certificate naming that device.
How it works
How it works in practice.
The setup is one conversation. After that it should be quiet.
-
Agree the standard and the cycle
Which models suit which roles, how long a device stays in service, and what happens when someone needs something unusual. Written down once.
-
Order, build, ship
You send a start date and a role. We order against the lead time, build to your standard, and deliver it ready.
-
Refresh and retire
Devices approaching end of cycle are flagged in advance. Data moves across, the old machine is collected, wiped and certified.
What it costs
Priced per device, per month.
Not free money, a different shape of the same money, and that shape suits some organizations better than others.
Pricing is per device, per month, set by the model, the term and what is bundled around it.
Three things move the number: the specification, since a design workstation and an office laptop are not comparable; the term length; and what is included, particularly accidental damage cover and how quickly a failed device is replaced.
Whether the total costs more than buying outright depends on how you value the alternative: the capital, the administration, the disposal, and machines kept past their useful life. Our guide to managed IT pricing in Canada covers the wider picture.
When buying is the better answer
With healthy cash reserves, a stable headcount and someone who genuinely enjoys managing hardware, buying outright can work out cheaper.
This suits organizations that are growing, that value predictability, or that would rather not think about laptops at all.
Why us for this
The unglamorous parts are the ones that matter.
Anyone can ship a laptop. What goes wrong are the things nobody asks about at the start: how quickly a failed device is replaced, whether disposal is certified, and what happens if you end the term early. We put all three in the agreement.
Go deeper
- IT support and helpdesk The service that supports these devices.
- Endpoint protection What runs on every managed device.
- IT strategy and vCIO Where the refresh budget belongs.
Questions
What people ask before they sign anything.
What is device as a service?
You pay a monthly fee per laptop or desktop instead of buying the hardware, and that fee covers configuration, support, hardware failure, replacement on a refresh cycle and secure disposal. A device stops being a purchase and becomes a service with a predictable monthly cost.
Is it cheaper than buying laptops?
Not always, and any provider claiming otherwise is skipping the comparison. Over a full term the totals are often close. What changes is the shape: no capital outlay, no year where eleven machines fail together, and no machines kept past their useful life.
How long is the refresh cycle?
Typically three to four years, agreed at the start and matched to how the device is used. A laptop carried to sites daily wears faster than a desktop in an office. The value is that the date is known in advance.
What happens when someone new starts?
You send the start date and the role, and the machine arrives built. Applications, settings, encryption and device management are applied before it ships, so the person signs in and works. The limiting factor is supplier lead time, which is why telling us the start date early matters.
How do you make sure our data is gone at the end?
The device is collected, its storage wiped or physically destroyed to a recognised standard, and you receive a certificate identifying it. Encryption from day one is what makes this reliable, a wiped encrypted disk is not practically recoverable. Keep the certificates, they are what an auditor or insurer asks to see.
Related
Where to go next.
In this service
Related services
Worth reading
Want to know what this would look like for you?
A 30-minute call. No slides, no audit fee, no obligation. We ask what is breaking and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.