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Over the last 18 months, many major computer manufacturers  such as Lenovo, HP and Fujitsu have started offering subscription services for new computers and technology but what exactly is in it for you, and what is this terminology they use all about?  It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time and is very much part of the HardSoft ethos and way of offering a subscription model for deployment and use of PC and Macs.

Here we explain these terms and acronyms which you may come across:

Technology as a service – TaaS

Technology as a service offers small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) the facility to combine their computer hardware purchases with IT services for a monthly fee. They are then able to utilise the service rather than employee their own IT staff, to cover things such as warranty services, and the option to replace equipment regularly without making large upfront payments, allowing them to keep their cash flow in place for the day-to-day running of the business.

IT as a service – ITaaS

IT as a Service a method of technology delivery that views information technology as an asset. It provides businesses with hardware, software and support on an agreed monthly fee.

Device as a Service – DaaS

Device as a service is where small businesses and larger companies alike outsource the acquisition and management of IT devices to save money and enable them to renew the equipment regularly. HP use this as their brand.  HP tied up with Apple at the end of 2017 and offer the imaginatively  “Device as a Service for Apple’ that allow iPhones, iPads and Macs bundled up with support and a DEP solution, plus Accidental Damage cover. Apple does not have its own scheme and the HP DaaS for Apple is only available in the USA

XaaS – anything as a service

Anything (or everything) as a service has often been used to envelop SaaS (Software as a service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), and PaaS (Platform as a service). Originally SaaS, this cloud-based on-demand services category has expanded to include anything that isn’t fixed to the floor. It’s the epitome of cloud computing, a veritable buffet of offerings which are utility based and can be used on a monthly basis.

Sound Familiar?

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Yes, it’s basically what we’ve been doing – and preaching about – for the past 30 years! It’s all about getting someone else to take care of the technology you need to use for your business, paying a regular set amount to ensure that everything is looked after so that you don’t have to worry about it. In a nutshell, HardSoft offers all of the services mentioned above within our leasing contracts. We cover warranties, technical support, replacement products, and renewals when you need them. It’s why we’re a ‘one stop shop’ for all your technology needs.

If you want to know more about leasing from HardSoft and our TaaS/ITaaS/DaaS/XaaS services, get in touch via sales@hardsoft.co.uk, call 020 7111 1643, or go online and use our web chat facility. Our knowledgeable sales team will be happy to talk through all of your options with you.

As Easy as Change, Continue, or Cancel.

We’re often asked about the flexibility of leasing, and potential customers are often under the impression that leasing is inflexible and they will be tied into long contracts whilst their equipment becomes obsolete and old. We always tell them that leasing IT equipment is as simple as getting your mobile phone contract, they work in just the same way.

Here at HardSoft, we are the pioneers of the ‘Flexi-Lease’, so the clue is in the name. This scheme for businesses is simple and incredibly flexible, we call it Change, Continue, Cancel. All of our customers are offered guaranteed ownership of their equipment at the end of their lease term for just £1, but they can also choose to continue with a new lease once they reach the halfway point of their lease, upgrading their equipment at the same time, allowing them to have the latest and most up to date kit.

Change – technology advances at such a rapid rate that in the three short years of your lease, you can often find yourself working on an outdated device which doesn’t do everything you need it to. If this is the case, you can return the equipment and start a new lease with the latest models and be back at the cutting edge again. Taking advantage of the extras included in a HardSoft lease, such as technical support and warranty.

Continue – the beauty of the Flexi-Lease means that you can always change your mind. Once you’ve reached the halfway point of your lease you can change your equipment at any time. This means that if your business is growing and expanding and you need more equipment for additional staff, you can add to your lease with the most up to date equipment available. Leasing also means that you don’t have to pay outright for the additional kit, leaving your precious cash flow intact for more pressing things.

Cancel – you might find that after 3 years you’re still happy with your equipment, and regardless of there being more up to date and sleeker looking versions available, you’re happy to stick with what you have. If this is the case, you can purchase the device for just £1.00 and take ownership so it’s all yours to keep.

Real Customer examples explaining this leasing flexibility

The best way for us to tell you how flexible our leases are is to give you some examples of our customers taking advantage of flexible leasing in the past few weeks.

Customer A had a 27″ iMac and was paying £89.70 per month. They decided to keep the iMac and also change to a new 27″ iMac with 5K Retina with a new monthly payment of £94.50.

Customer B had two 13″ MacBook Pro Retina’s, paying £104.00 per month, and decided to keep them and add two new 13″ MacBook Pros with Touch Bar for a new monthly payment of £118.00.

Customer C had an 11″ MacBook Air and a 21.5″ iMac, paying £68.03 per month, and then cancelled the original lease returning the existing equipment and part-exchanging it for a new iMac 21.5″ and a new 13″ MacBook Air, with a new monthly payment of £75.50. All customers were able to secure new up to date equipment and keep their payments at roughly the same amount each month.

Each HardSoft Flexi-Lease is covered by three years free warranty and telephone technical support. This warranty is inclusive of all parts and labour. If your machine is faulty we offer, at no extra cost, a ‘Collect and Return’ service; whereby our courier will be sent in the next day after reporting a fault and will return this to us for repair. Also included is telephone support and we offer a remote diagnosis and fault repair service. For more information about our flexible leases, get in touch with our sales team on 020 7111 1643 or email sales@hardsoft.co.uk.

What is Factoring?

Have you ever been thrilled to land a contract or project with a really big household name company, only to panic when you find out their payment terms are usually 90 days? So, you do the work for them, send in your invoice and then have to wait… and wait… and wait… to be paid. All whilst you’re still having to pay your bills and mortgage, and put food on the table! Well, that’s where invoice factoring comes in. You sell on your invoice to another company, who then pay you – depending on their terms – and wait for the client to pay them, meaning your precious cash flow is intact and you can continue working without gaining any grey hairs from the stress of waiting. Sound good? Well, we can now help you with this.

How HardSoft can help

Hardsoft specialises in leasing computers to small businesses and factoring is a logical extension to this service. Many HardSoft clients are small creative businesses who find that, despite the kudos of working with big named clients, it can cause them real headaches when they face long delays before being paid for work they have done, sometimes as long as 3 months ago. We know how had this can make day to day business for our customers, so we’re partnering with one of our leasing companies, Grenke, who also offer to factor, in a bid to help make our customer’s lives easier. And as we all know the option to phone the bank and get an instant overdraft just doesn’t exist anymore.

Factoring Classic is a whole turnover product where the customer ‘sells’ us all of their invoices, Factoring Choice is when a customer only factors in selected invoices. We also have our single invoice product, where clients can sell invoices on an ad-hoc basis – you could even group together several invoices e.g. if you have five invoices of around £2k which means you’re waiting on payment of in the region of £10k, you can bundle them together and sell them on via factoring. Once you have asked us to factor invoices for you and Grenke has approved, you will receive a cash advance (usually 90% of the total), they will then inform the company that they are factoring the invoice on your behalf and wait for payment from them. When the payment has been made in full, you will receive the remaining 10%, less the factoring fee (usually in the region of 2.5%). The charges are transparent and very very competitive and you can have a three-month trial to decide whether factoring works for you.

Factoring invoices in this way allow you to offer more favourable terms to clients, which in turn can help you to gain increased orders from those clients and improve your turnover. As mentioned above, you can factor one-off invoices or big projects, as well as ongoing projects, or all of your invoicing altogether. Allowing you to relax about your income and feel confident that your cash flow will no longer fluctuate to such an extent that it causes you to lose sleep!

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you with invoice factoring, give us a call on 020 7111 1643 or email info@hardsoft.co.uk

Need a new laptop? You might be weighing up the differences between buying and leasing and wondering what’s best for you.

Leasing is a great way to get the kit you need now and spread the cost out over a period of time. It can be ideal for businesses and their cash flow as less money is initially laid out for equipment. Businesses need to ensure they’re getting the most affordable price for thir kit, so how much does it cost to lease a laptop and what are the benefits?

We have looked at some of the most popular laptops, as priced in April 2018. All of our costs exclude VAT and based on a lease over a three-year period. There are other leasing options available such as Hardsoft Flexi-Lease, which enables you to renew your kit after two years.

Price comparison

These costs are extremely affordable against their overall prices and give businesses the freedom to have quality equipment without having to spend large sums of money all at once. This can be beneficial for all businesses – especially for SMEs. For the cost of a few coffees per week, you could have an excellent piece of kit that can help you grow your business.

When starting a business, many laptops may not be affordable, but rather than sacrificing the quality of your equipment, it’s worth considering leasing options. You can apply for the flexi-lease as a start-up business and this will then give you the opportunity to upgrade your equipment after two years once your business is more established.

What are the benefits of leasing a laptop?

• You can have the equipment you want right now! No need to save or interrupt your business cash flow.
• Full warranty is included throughout the lease period.
• At the end of the lease, you can either keep the computer for a fee depending on your lease choice, or upgrade.
• We can install necessary software your business may need such as Microsoft Office.
• The more machines you order, the cheaper the overall cost.
• There is no initial deposit.
• Start-up businesses can apply for our flexi-lease option. We have helped thousands of start-ups get the quality equipment they need.
• If your Mac needs repairs, we can provide a loan Mac so your business doesn’t need to be out of action.
• Throughout the duration of your lease, you will have telephone technical support if you have any queries.

Take a look at our range of Apple Notebooks and PC Laptops to find the right equipment for your business. If you have any questions about our leasing options, please get in touch – our friendly team would be happy to discuss your options.