Wouldn’t it be great, if you had this rent-a-car and whenever you needed to, you could swap the car for a bigger one or a smaller one? Now picture that with the PCs being used by your company. When required, you can have the top of the line PCs at your disposal to tackle any project, or mellow down to a more conventional set up – all the while sticking to the same price point that you started off with.

Too good to be true, huh? But Dell EMC with their PC as a Service has proven that the things that sound too good to be true, are infact actually true. PCaaS was one of the key points of discussions in the Dell Technologies World – 2018, Las Vegas. But what exactly is PC as a Service? Why is everyone going bonkers over it? Should you be interested in PCaaS?

These are all valid questions to have, to give the answers we have with us Mr. Krishnadas Kruppathu, Sales Director of Mobility and Client Solutions, and our very own resident expert on all things IT. He’s been a part of the KIT Family for about 17 years, accumulating a total of 20+ years in the IT field. Let’s see what Mr. Krishna has in store for us this week.

PCaaS has been popular for quite some time now, can you explain to us what exactly PC as a Service is and what role Dell is playing in taking it to the next level?

The process that customers currently undergo for Digital Workforce Transformation is that they buy the hardware from one vendor, software from another and the deployment or the support from a third. Not to mention additional services like data migration and imaging are also availed upon purchase.  All in all, it’s not a not very efficient and pleasant process.

PCaaS is a relatively new concept – the advantage with it is that it’s a complete solution and that it is provided by one solution provider rather than multiple vendors. Dell EMC in particular offers Hardware/Software, ProDeploy, ProSupport and Asset Recovery alongwith Flexible Financing as an option which enables customer to avail a single, predictable price per seat per month. This helps customers to move from a Capex model to Opex model.

The Dell PCaaS assures a predictable charge that does not fluctuate over the course of the term, how is this made possible when customers can upgrade and downgrade midterm?

Right now, what most companies are doing is that they buy the products upfront then they deploy it to the entire workforce as and when the requirement arises. This practice is counter intuitive, when Workforce Enablement and Digital Transformation is the end-goal.

What happens in PCaaS is that the vendor comes in, does an assessment of your company, and then positions the specific products based on user profile. It is important to note that when the vendor does his assessment, a major aspect they focus on is the lifecycle of the PC, so replacing or changing of PCs is predicated upon which a price is agreed on.

Since anticipated upgrades or downgrades are taken into account at the start of the term itself, it allows Dell to set a predictable charge. Another thing I would like to highlight is that PCaaS is not a onetime purchase but it works in terms, just like service contracts.

What do you think about Dell’s PCaaS coming in and keeping the lights running so the customer’s in-house IT Teams can focus on more strategic projects, do you think the IT Teams would welcome this level of relief?

A major portion of in-house IT teams spend their time making sure that the assets are secured and data is encrypted and protected at all times. But what happens when a customer has one centralized IT team handling multiple locations? In PCaaS, the vender comes in and supports everything.

Additionally, PCs that are being deployed will have the required imaging (software & hardware) inbuilt and ready to roll from the get-go. What this means is that the in-house IT team does not even have to bother with configuring or customizing the new PCs since they arrive ready for the users with everything required.

So yes, I firmly believe that any IT team will welcome this level of assistance as it is ultimately trouble-free and time-saving for them.

Everyone is out to save some money, and make a little money while doing so – I’ve read some articles that state that customers availing the PCaaS can save up to 25%, how is this made possible?

It is made possible by a combination of all the factors that we have discussed. Instead of having a one-size-fits-all strategy, customers can position the right product for the right users and thus enabling their workforce with efficient tools for better output. PCaaS helps customers save money by providing services to the in-house IT Teams and by the effective management of the PC Lifecycle.

Just how instrumental do you think the Services Delivery Manager is going to be when it comes to streamlining customer relationships and customer experience?

The introduction of the Services Delivery Manager is great, simply because of the fact that they can gain better visibility into the customer installer base. The manager will have the knowledge of what Dell has done for that particular customer and the current systems in place. They will also have a track record of the customer, maintain a closer relationship and have a deeper understanding of the customer’s business needs.

An additional benefit is having a single point of contact between the customer and Dell’s PCaaS. The Services Delivery Manager proactively works with the customer throughout the PC’s Lifecycle. For instance, if there is a patch that needs to be uploaded, the manager can do it in a centralized manner. Secondly, the customer’s in-house IT team can communicate with one person for their requirements which develops a mutual understanding between the two.

Which industry do you think stands to gain the most from this service and why do you believe so?

I believe that all industries stand to gain from PCaaS, especially the Education industry, Healthcare industry, Finance industry, Government and large corporations. There is a prediction by ITC that by 2020, 30% of all commercial PCs are expected to opt for PCaaS. There has been a reported saving of 25% by the customers currently using it. Like I said before, it helps customers to move from the Capex model to the Opex model. So I feel that it is all industries that should take advantage from what PCaaS offers and opt for this service immediately.

In your opinion, what do you think is the key feature of PCaaS that warrants the hype around it?

PCaaS has many features (as previously mentioned) and I think it’s the solution as a whole that makes it significant. As we discussed, currently the customers are dependent on multiple vendors to achieve one goal of Digital Transformation.  But in PCaaS, you get this great bundle using which you can get everything from the same vendor, even budget better with the help of Dell Finances. Additionally, you will also have a Services Delivery Manager that is specifically there to stay on top of everything related to you and make sure all your needs are met.

Things have changed now, Digital Transformation and Workforce Enablement is crucial. Everyone doesn’t work from their desk at a fixed PC anymore, mobility is important as some work from home on their mobile devices, laptops or desktops. For this, we need to find the right product that can fulfill all these requirements, which is possible through PCaaS since you don’t have to purchase anything upfront.

Closing Note

One thing that Mr. Krishna always says is that we must push forward and progress with these things, otherwise by just moving boxes we’re bound to run into problems. And I think that perfectly captures the attitude that companies must adopt while progressing. If Digital Transformation and Workforce Enablement is your goal, then you must switch to PCaaS even though it seems too good to be true, but it is indeed very real and here to stay.