By Insight Editor / 28 Dec 2020 / Topics: Devices Procurement
Facts at a glance
Client industry:
Technology
Size of company:
50,000 employees
Challenge:
Secure more than 400 unavailable Microsoft Surface devices in response to pandemic-related essential business needs in time to invoice before year-end.
Solution:
Close partnership between Insight and Microsoft teams, enabling cost-effective, fast and streamlined device procurement and improved end-user experiences.
Results
- Improved device procurement and distribution.
- Created savings at device and end-user levels.
- Identified ongoing modern workspace initiatives.
Solution area:
Insight’s Supply Chain Optimization solutions simplify the process of procuring, maintaining and replacing the technology clients invest in to run their business.
Insight’s Connected Workforce solutions are a suite of end-user compute offerings designed to simplify IT management while improving connectivity and collaboration.
Insight’s Digital Innovation solutions help clients incorporate emerging tech into their business operations to improve the customer experience.
Partnerships are the core of what we do. So much of our client success ties back to the depth and flexibility of our OEM partnerships and the ability of our teams to interface with client and partner teams for the best interests of all involved.
This story starts 15 years ago, when the client, a leading aerospace technology company, first partnered with Insight. We’ve worked together closely ever since, supporting client IT needs through mergers, acquisitions and more.
As a strategic technology partner, Insight recognized an opportunity for our client to leverage existing Microsoft® Enterprise Agreements to expand its Microsoft footprint. Working closely with Microsoft teams, we presented a plan to introduce new Microsoft Surface® devices at incredibly cost-effective prices, bundled with supporting services. The goal was to establish a holistic Insight-supported, Microsoft-based enterprise technology ecosystem.
The client readily saw the value in investing further with Microsoft through Insight — our partnership offered a level of savings and integrated support no competitor could match. We worked with client teams to identify the best-fit Microsoft solutions for the client’s workforce. These efforts resulted in an initial order of 5,000 Microsoft Surface® units, which, coupled with lab services and technologies from Insight that are still in use, created immediate savings at the device level, plus ongoing savings at the employee investment level.
From 15 years ago to today, our relationship with the client has supported their technology ecosystem across urgent needs and evolving demands. More recently, the client has specifically leveraged our partnership with Microsoft to respond to pandemic-related needs and plan for a more modern workforce. The following outlines the major benefits Insight and Microsoft® Surface® have achieved for our client.
One of the most basic needs our client had was around warehousing. Its IT team needed to be able to retain inventory without utilizing their own space on premises or taking ownership of the devices. Working with Microsoft Surface, Insight was able to provide the client with a holistic device solution, including:
As a result of the pandemic, the client urgently needed to source more than 400 Microsoft Surface devices to enable essential employees to do their necessary work when there was no inventory in the channel. The strength of the partnership between Insight and Microsoft enabled Insight to secure the necessary inventory and route it to our labs for asset tagging within just 24 hours. The speed and service level of this transaction enabled the client to quickly fulfill its device need with assurance of quality and best-case device cost and ROI.
Rather than having to buy one unit at a time and generate a purchase order, which could take a week or more, the client now enjoys a simplified, time-saving process through reserved inventory and device imaging services from Insight. Now, the client simply sends a release order — for any employee need — and Insight delivers the imaged device straight from our lab to end-user locations.
With Insight and Microsoft Surface, support goes far beyond device acquisition. By managing a broad scale of devices on behalf of our clients, Insight enables clients to focus on evolving their IT strategies to align with current market priorities. Building on the success of our device-centered wins with Microsoft, we’ve realized a new opportunity to introduce Modern Workspace solutions and help the client develop a roadmap for a more automated environment for end users.
There are many moving pieces when it comes to comprehensively serving a client’s device needs. From special pricing and product sourcing to technical conversations and ongoing strategic planning, Insight’s partnership with Microsoft is unlike any other. We take pride — and gratitude — in the synergy and unity that characterizes the partnership between Insight and Microsoft teams, and in our ability to deliver the best possible outcomes for our shared clients. This partnership ultimately benefits our clients through strong, innovative solutions delivered with confidence.
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