There’s More to IT Hardware Procurement Than Getting the Best Deal

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Originally Posted On: https://insights.compucom.com/insights/theres-more-to-it-hardware-procurement-than-getting-the-best-deal

At first blush, a company looking to update their network hardware or refresh a fleet of laptops might just task their procurement team (if they have one) with pricing out the best deals, perhaps having them go directly to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

As a managed services provider (MSP), we sometimes find it challenging to get customers to think of us for their IT hardware needs, despite our 35 years as a reseller.

Learn more about:

• Companies Don’t Want Products, They Want Solutions 
• Trusted Advisors and Strong OEM Relationships
• Depot Centers and Product Forecasting 

It might surprise you how many strategic advantages partnering with an MSP can bring to your product procurement strategy. For one, our strong OEM partnerships can deliver negotiated pricing, special discounts, and incentives. In fact, we often have knowledge of special promotions and programs before they come to market.

But by a landslide, the most crucial benefit of sourcing hardware technologies from us is the technical expertise we bring to designing, procuring, and delivering complete technology solutions. To us, a complete technology solution means that you’re getting the right products that will work best in your environment, backed by the right services, to provide the best user experience.

Case in point, Compucom recently helped a long-term banking customer undertake a massive technology refresh over the Labor Day weekend. Within a few months, due to a major acquisition, the bank needed 11,000 new PCs and 500 servers. Compucom delivered all the laptops and desktops well in advance and built, configured, and delivered the servers to each of the new branches directly from our ISO-certified Advanced Configuration Center.

This customer could have sourced their hardware elsewhere, but they looked to us because we could meet a highly accelerated delivery schedule and help with a series of dry runs for the transition. We also maintained staff onsite and on standby during the cutover.

The project was a success: the acquired bank’s employees had a seamless transition from the old computers and network to the new ones over just one weekend. That, in a nutshell, is the benefit of going with a strategic MSP partner for your hardware needs. We delivered a technology solution that was crucial in supporting the new acquisition and employees, rather than just a stack of servers and laptops.

We call ourselves “vendor-neutral” at Compucom, but our OEM-certified solution architects (SAs) are not shrinking violets regarding product recommendations that map out a best-fit technology solution for your situation. And unlike armchair quarterbacks ranting on social media, these are tech gurus with solid views based on years of experience implementing solutions across various industries.

Strong OEM partnerships get us as close to being an insider to Tier One manufacturers as you can get while retaining the independence you’d expect from an MSP reseller. We’re not going to push products that don’t fit your needs because, quite often, an ideal technology solution is a mix of different brands. For example, an optimal solution for your business may comprise Cisco networking gear with Dell servers and Lenovo laptops and workstations.

The goal is to leverage the benefits of our multiple OEM partnerships to provide and support a best-fit mix of technologies for your given solution. We also leverage our relationships with key OEMs and distribution partners to create a dependable and efficient supply chain model, which has been a major concern these past few years.

Our Advanced Configuration Centers, located in the US and Canada, house the specialized warehousing facilities and skilled technicians that enable us to provide your end-user technology for day-one productivity.

The centers support a wide range of adjacent services, including configuration, custom-labeling, repair, refurbishment, and disposal services – with the strict controls and processes necessary to ensure compliance and security that deliver peace of mind for our customers.

To help with your future transformation projects, we maintain and analyze stock levels based on product forecasting and refresh schedules – ensuring that we can not only meet delivery requirements but also help you properly respond to the digital disruptors we all know will come.

We’re more than an IT reseller and managed services provider — we’re a strategic partner and a trusted advisor. Using us for hardware procurement will help you manage and reduce product and operational costs and meet your sustainability goals. Plus, you’ll realize the benefits a single-source provider can bring to streamlining your procurement processes and, most importantly, get the best technology solutions for your business.