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UC Hardware-as-a-Service: Knowing Your Options: Page 2 of 3

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Illustration showing mutiples options to follow
Image: Mohamed_Hasson - pixabay.com

HaaS Offers Available Today

Below are four relatively new HaaS offers that provide an overview of how the market is addressing this opportunity.
 
Cisco Webex HaaS
Cisco launched its Webex HaaS program in Q4 2019 and immediately came out with a portfolio of new or updated hardware products. Included within the Cisco offer are IP desktop phones, conference phones, room-based video and collaboration devices (Cisco Webex Room Series and Cisco Webex Board), and desktop collaboration devices.
 
Agreement terms are straightforward: For a three-year commitment, a customer receives hardware replacement and support during contract lifetime and gets full access to any software updates for the devices under contract. IT admins get access to Cisco Webex Control Hub, providing them the ability to manage users, services, and devices in a single online portal.
 
There is no minimum number of devices to start a HaaS agreement, and subscribers can add new devices to the plan at any time. For context, a customer can lease a Webex Room Kit starting at $139/month, a Webex Room System complete with monitors for $499/month or a Webex Board for $589/month. Alternatively, customers can pay annually.
 
At the end of the three-year term, the subscriber can do one of three things: 1) auto-renew the current hardware on a year-by-year basis, 2) refresh its rooms to the latest equipment and initiate a new three-year term subscription or, 3) cancel the subscriptions, at which point in time the devices lose their software licensing and become incapable of placing or receiving calls.
 
Cisco offers its Webex HaaS program in the U.S. through channel partners.
 
What's good about this program
  • The program extends to a full range of Cisco UC products under the portfolio. From the desktop to meeting rooms, Cisco can cover all hardware needs.
  • Cisco has aligned HaaS with the Flex licensing model it launched four years ago for the Webex product lines.
 
Lifesize RaaS
In December 2019, Lifesize updated pricing for its cloud videoconferencing service and launched a companion Lifesize RaaS offering. Customers can now buy room equipment outright or leverage the RaaS "pay as you go" offer to reduce upfront costs with transparent and predictable pricing on hardware.
 
Customers can choose among three hardware configurations: 1) Icon 300 + MicPod ($99/month), 2) Icon 300 + Phone HD ($135/month) and, 3) Icon 500 + Phone HD ($199/month). These align with a small/medium/large room strategy.
 
Contracts start with a two-year commitment, but can also be for three-, four-, or five-year terms. Customers pay annually, and at the end of the agreement, they can either renew with the same hardware or initiate a new contract with a different room package updated with more modern equipment.
 
During the agreement, the customer has access to unlimited Lifesize service and software support, including hardware advance replacement. This means if a customer experiences a hardware issue, it will receive a new device before needing to return the older device. Lifesize also provides access to its online management tool, the Lifesize Admin Console, from which IT admins can monitor the health of room systems and enable instant notifications for alert conditions, among many other device and account management capabilities.
 
What's good about this program
  • Single point of billing and contact for both hardware and cloud services
  • An "easy to follow" small/med/large room alignment of its RaaS
  • Straightforward information on its website, including pricing of service and RaaS offerings. No need to "contact sales to learn" more.
 
LogMeIn GoToMeeting RaaS
In June 2019, GoToMeeting launched its RaaS, GoToRoom with Dolby Voice product kit. The RaaS offer includes a Dolby Voice Phone, Dolby Voice Camera, Dolby Voice Hub, and the monthly software subscription for GoToRoom — all in a single, pre-packaged monthly payment.
 
Customers can sign up for one-, two-, three-, or four-year terms. At the end of the agreement, the customer can buy out the equipment and renew the service or return the gear and end the contract. Payment options include monthly, annual, or a single upfront payment for the full contract.
 
By way of example, a customer could purchase the Dolby room kit outright for $3,999 and signup for a $39 per month GoToRoom license, or sign up for the RaaS program for the same gear and pay $149 per month for three years. The RaaS program includes premium hardware warranty, support, and updates for the life of the subscription.
 
What's good about this program
  • A single, all-inclusive monthly payment: When customers purchase RaaS, they're receiving a comprehensive package containing the hardware rental, GoToRoom subscription, support, and premier warranty.
  • The potential exists for LogMeIn to add other hardware vendors, creating a best-of-breed portfolio for UC devices versus other vendors that are limited to their hardware offerings.
 
Poly DaaS
Poly targets its DaaS program at its cloud communications services partners with the intent for them to pass it through to the end customers. It enables service providers to offer Poly endpoints on a month-to-month basis with no minimum commitment and an extended hardware replacement plan — a new precedence in this space.
 
Poly positions its DaaS offer as a rental program for its current lineup of desktop and conference phones, as well as most of its enterprise headsets. It doesn’t presently include videoconferencing endpoints, but Poly says it’s monitoring the opportunity.
 
The Poly DaaS program includes extended hardware replacement, support, and services, as well as any shipping and provisioning cost all in a single monthly payment. The service provider can, in turn, pass this through to the customer as-is or bundle it with its monthly services or other value-added features. The customer gets access to a reliable UC endpoint with all supporting cost covered and has the flexibility to scale up or down as needed.
 
What's good about this program
  • Depending on how Poly's partners package it, this is an actual month-to-month program with the flexibility to scale up and down or cancel as needed.
  • It’s the first and only rental program to include enterprise headsets and offer associated hardware warranty and support.
  • Partners get to customize the offering with their services or value-adds.
 
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