66 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 2

• You make decisions about IT and devices for your business.

• You’re looking for ways to help employees be more productive in a hybrid workplace—i.e., a mix of remote, mobile, and traditional work environments with irregular or varying schedules.

• You want to simplify device deployment, management, and security.

• You want to know more about the productivity, cost, and security benefits of a unified hardware and software solution, such as Microsoft 365 and Surface.

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

1. Do our devices help employees stay productive from anywhere?

2. Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale?

3. Are we getting cost savings from our tech?

5. Do we have a modern approach to device security?

4. Do our devices help attract and retain talent?

6. How easy is our device deployment and management?

Introduction

This e-book is for you if… Contents

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 3

Your organization likely refreshes its technology regularly, on a set schedule. That helps with planning and budgeting, but are there ways to get ahead of that process and optimize it so you can create savings or introduce new efficiencies? And which factors should you weigh as you consider potential updates to employee devices and supporting infrastructure?

These questions have always posed a challenge to IT leaders, especially as they work with buying committees to optimize these refresh cycles and take advantage of the latest innovations. As we all find ourselves adapting to new ways of working, though, these questions have become even more complex.

With the rise of flexible schedules and hybrid workplaces, the 9-to-5 rhythm of traditional offices can seem like a distant memory. More employees than ever now work from almost anywhere, at different times of day, whether at home, in a traditional office,

or on the move. Some work remotely full-time, while others work 100 percent from traditional offices or job sites—with every location and scheduling variation in between, which can often change unpredictably.

However, in many ways these changes have only accelerated existing trends. But they’ve also given IT leaders an opportunity to step back and reevaluate their priorities around technology.

The hybrid workplace offers new potential for forward-thinking companies to gain a competitive edge by making smart tech investments.

Introduction

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 4

No matter how your company works or when you might be planning a device refresh, two things are clear: the tech investments you make should help you achieve and sustain growth, and they should help your employees stay protected and productive across all their devices.

So what does that mean? Employees need secure, reliable access to apps and data from anywhere, whether it’s in their car, at an informal “touchdown space” within a corporate office, or at their kitchen table (or even all of the above in a single day). The everyday activities employees count on—such as team meetings, one-on-one chats, and switching between multiple apps—need to be seamless, no matter where or how they work.

New challenges, new solutions

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 5

• Remote work may leave employees feeling disconnected, which then affects productivity and retention.

• Many devices can’t handle both video calls and processor-intensive work simultaneously.

• Secure deployment is difficult across more diverse and vulnerable locations.

• Keeping devices secure impacts workforce productivity and IT costs.

• Device management is more unpredictable given the realities of remote support and repairing devices damaged in home environments.

Unfortunately, businesses and employees face many challenges as they adapt to new ways of working. These are just a few:

• Keeping devices secure impacts workforce productivity and IT costs.

• Device provisioning may need to become more “touchless” or provide additional time for quarantining devices.

• Managing device firmware is typically an inconsistent experience, often involving third-party providers. That makes firmware monitoring and maintenance difficult, and complicates the update process.

• Connecting hardware, software, apps, and services can be difficult across a sprawling technology landscape, especially with a distributed workforce that might have unpredictable access to internet and power throughout the day.

Surface devices, especially when combined with the powerful Microsoft 365 productivity suite, can address all of these challenges and more. Whatever your choice of technology, the six questions in this e-book can help you better assess and optimize your hardware refresh strategy.

How Surface can help

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 6

1Do our devices help employees stay productive from anywhere?

Hybrid workplaces with flexible schedules will likely be a big part of our work environment going forward. So how does that impact employee productivity?

1 Do our devices help employees stay productive from anywhere? 3 52 4 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 7

IDG studied workforce and technology strategies across a wide range of organizations. They found that the ability to share ideas and collaborate with coworkers was one of the top two drivers of productivity.1

To build on the gains of hybrid working, organizations need to make sure they have tools and strategies that take advantage of this insight. Individuals need to be able to collaborate more effectively and securely from anywhere, on any device.

One effective way to make this kind of virtual teamwork easier is by integrating multiple tools and capabilities—chat, productivity apps, file sharing—in one shared space. Teams can then share knowledge, make faster decisions, and communicate more efficiently, in real time or asynchronously.

1 “Tools for Marketers: 2019 Digital Business Research,” IDG, 2019.

2 “Is a lack of application integration hurting your business? Here’s how to ease the pain,” Computer World, 2020.

“At a certain point, it’s no longer just about the features you use—it’s about all the collaboration workflow that goes around it...Companies are realizing they need these tools to be more integrated and more collaborative.”

—Laurie McCabe, cofounder and principal with SMB Group2

3 52 4 61 Do our devices help employees stay productive from anywhere?

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 8

Surface devices were designed for shared workspaces like these. They help employees make real connections, even across time zones—and that’s especially true when combined with Microsoft 365. Teams can work together from anywhere, with hardware and software optimized to bring people together. Surface devices also have the built-in connectivity and power to handle both video calls and processor-intensive tasks at the same time, whether for collaborating on complex projects or just having virtual coffee chats.

A recent Forrester Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) Study of Surface and Microsoft 365 looked at organizations that wanted to improve employee experience by replacing legacy device technologies with more flexible hardware and cloud technologies. According to the study, Surface devices paired with Microsoft 365 Enterprise collaboration and cloud storage technologies saved users on average 10 hours per week—more than a full day of work—in terms of efficiency and productivity.4

“Our Surface users are more responsive to emails, they’re better prepared for meetings, they’re more on time for meetings, they don’t complain about their IT tools as much. I just think overall the experience is better.”

—Global corporate account director, manufacturing3

4 Forrester, 2020.

3 “Maximizing Your ROI From Microsoft 365 Enterprise With Microsoft Surface: Cost Savings and Business Benefits Enabled By Using Microsoft 365-Powered Surface Devices,” a commissioned Total Economic Impact ™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2020.

10 hours saved per week on average in terms of efficiency and productivity with Surface devices paired with Microsoft 365

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 9

Surface devices can also promote team flow. Using Microsoft Teams, workers can collaborate across devices to brainstorm together with Surface Pen in Microsoft Whiteboard, on their own devices at home or at a meeting space in the office.

—VP and CISO, HR services4

“We’ve seen a 50% uptick in collaboration measured by [Microsoft] Teams meetings, screen sharing, and whiteboarding among Surface device users compared to non-Surface device users.”

4 Forrester, 2020.

3 52 4 61 Do our devices help employees stay productive from anywhere?

2Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale?

A hybrid work environment may present new challenges from an IT management standpoint, but it also provides many business advantages.

Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale? 21 3 4 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 11

In a hybrid workplace, employees have more flexibility in their schedules, with the potential to work remotely or with a combination of remote and on-site work. In fact, a Stanford survey showed that 55 percent of US workers want a mix of home and office work. Employment expert Alicia Tung predicts that in China, there will be a 60/40 split between onsite and remote work in 10 years.5

In 2019, just 15 percent of companies had a set remote work policy, but now 76 percent do. Managers expect that 65 percent of the workforce will work remotely at least one day a week going forward.6

But how can organizations support a hybrid workplace at scale? One way is to adopt devices and a technology platform designed for these new ways of working. For example, any new devices should help your employees stay connected from anywhere and provide a secure, continuous work experience. Workers need versatile devices that let them easily use cloud technologies to share content, manage files, and collaborate seamlessly across different and sometimes unpredictable work environments.

In 2019, just 15 percent of companies had a set remote work policy, but now 76 percent do.

Managers expect that 65 percent of the workforce will work remotely at least one day a week going forward.6

5 “Microsoft forecasts a hybrid new normal of work in Asia-Pacific,” Microsoft, 2020.

6 “Building resilience & maintaining innovation in a hybrid world,” Microsoft white paper, 2020.

Scaling to support the future of work

15% 76%

65%

Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale? 21 3 4 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 12

Surface and Microsoft 365 can help your organization adapt to new work patterns like these. The Forrester study found that after switching to Surface, organizations reported benefits to employee productivity and collaboration, IT efficiency, and cost savings from better security and device consolidation.8

The mobility features provided by LTE-enabled Surface devices can help users stay productive and connected, even when Wi-Fi and electricity aren’t available. For example, Surface Pro 7+ can use Fast Charging to power the battery up to 80% in as little as 60 minutes, perfect for workers switching frequently between different environments.9

In the Forrester study, Surface also helped organizations support hybrid working in a more scalable way by simplifying and reducing the number of devices and solutions. Prior to using Surface, they often had multiple devices for each employee versus a single Surface device. With Surface and Microsoft 365 working together, organizations were able to streamline and consolidate overlapping and resource-intensive collaboration and security solutions. 9 “Fast Charging for Surface,” Microsoft, 2020.

7 Microsoft white paper, 2020.

8 Forrester, 2020.

Almost 9 out of 10 leaders expect hybrid working is here to stay7

Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale? 21 3 4 5 6

136 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh

Versatility was the key factor in driving our choice of Surface devices. We no longer need to issue multiple devices, the extended battery life means more productivity on the go, and our IT costs shrink as we move toward standardizing on a single system.”

—VP and CISO, HR services10

10 Forrester, 2020.

Can we support a hybrid workplace at scale? 21 3 4 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 14

3Are we getting cost savings from our tech?

Realizing cost savings from a device refresh can be a balancing act. You want to get maximum value out of your current investments, of course, but you don’t want to forego longer-term savings gained from using more up-to-date devices, such as increased productivity, simplified management, and stronger security.

Are we getting cost savings from our tech?31 2 4 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 15

The Forrester TEI study found that simplifying device deployment, management, and security with Surface affected the bottom line. In the study, IT professionals said they saw cost and time savings for both management and deployment. IT departments saved an average of four hours for each Surface device deployed, thanks to Microsoft Autopilot and Microsoft Endpoint Manager, including Intune.11

The Forrester study found that with Microsoft 365-powered Surface devices, organizations were able to improve enterprise security and reduce the cost of breach remediation. With the combined security benefits of Surface and Microsoft 365, organizations could use fewer third-party security solutions, saving on expenses and reducing the number of security breaches annually by about 20 percent for Surface device users.11

11 Forrester, 2020.

fewer security breaches for Surface device users

20%

4 hourssaved by IT on average for each Surface device deployed

Are we getting cost savings from our tech?31 2 4 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 16

In addition to these considerations, another way to evaluate savings for a device refresh is whether you’re able to consolidate your overall number of devices. For example, a full-featured 2-in-1 device can take the place of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for a single user.

Surface helps organizations cut costs in this way, especially for hybrid workplaces. The 2-in-1 design of the Surface Book, Surface Pro, and Surface Go means employees can work their way from anywhere using fewer devices. Surface Hub 2S is a large collaboration device that can help cut costs on projectors, digital whiteboards, and other A/V technologies. Surface Duo is a dual-screen device you can hold in your hand, and it can help you consolidate phone and tablet costs into a single device.

“Sixty percent of our end users who previously had multiple devices are now using a single Surface device. This has cut our procurement costs dramatically, as well as our maintenance and support costs.”

—VP and information security officer, financial services11

The Forrester TEI study valued the reduction in device and on-premises hardware costs at $801,551 over three years, with the flexible form factor enabling IT to replace multiple devices with each Surface deployment.11

11 Forrester, 2020.

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 17

4Do our devices help attract and retain talent?

We know that many business leaders are seeing the value of a hybrid workplace, from costs savings to increased flexibility. Many also see the opportunity for better employee recruitment and retention.

Do our devices help attract and retain talent?41 2 3 5 6

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 18

Most leaders (56 percent) say their biggest opportunity in having remote working policies is to retain their most capable employees. More than half (52 percent) expect remote working to improve their employer value proposition, making their companies more attractive to prospective talent.12

How can the right technology reinforce this trend? Devices and tools that closely align with the way people want to work can drive engagement, creativity, and loyalty. In Randstad’s “Workplace 2025” study, 80 percent of respondents said a company’s use of the latest digital tools would greatly influence their desire to join it.13

Surface devices enhance the way people work naturally. They’re designed with flexible, personal workstyles in mind, and that approach has led to loyal users: In an IPSOS study, 75 percent of respondents agreed that Surface devices with Microsoft 365 helped improve employee satisfaction and retention, and 72 percent who use a Surface at work say they want to use it all the time.14

Surface devices are built with quality design that users can see, feel, and hear, including PixelSense displays, immersive touchscreens, premium sound, and high-quality materials throughout. Employees can choose the right Surface device for them, including lightweight 2-in-1 devices, ultra-slim touchscreen laptops, and laptops with detachable screens, with multiple color options.

agree that Surface devices with Microsoft 365 helped improve employee satisfaction and retention

who use a Surface at work say they want to use it all the time

75%

72%

14 Customer Usage & Satisfaction Program, study of device users weighted across six countries by internet population (US/UK/DE/CH/JP/AU), conducted by independent research company IPSOS, recruited through online panel vendors, commissioned by Microsoft, 2019.

13 “Workplace 2025: The Post-Digital Frontier,” Randstad, 2020.

12 Microsoft white paper, 2020.

Do our devices help attract and retain talent?41 2 3 5 6

5Do we have a modern approach to device security?

In a hybrid workplace, the IT desk isn’t always right down the hall. That can make a hands-on approach to securing devices costly and complicated. Anything you can do to simplify device security can make a big difference.

Do we have a modern approach to device security?51 2 3 4 6

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A modern approach to security protects data wherever it goes. That way employees can be productive and secure at the same time, from anywhere—a must for hybrid and remote working.

The best devices and platforms embrace this modern approach with security that’s proactive and automated. For example, support for multifactor authentication (MFA) and biometric authentication lets organizations replace or augment passwords with fingerprint, facial recognition, or iris scan technology, increasing convenience and security. Web browsers should protect against malware and phishing by analyzing web activity, comparing attempted downloads against problematic sites, and warning users before exposure to anything malicious.

Modern security identifies and mitigates problems in complex environments before damage occurs—and reduces the IT workload by filtering out false positives and trivial issues.

With Surface, organizations get a fast track to modern security. Surface protects endpoints and the data on them from

device firmware up to the cloud, through all phases of the device lifecycle, even across the increased vulnerabilities of a hybrid workplace.

Surface implements every standard for a highly secure Windows 10 device, with built-in protection at every layer. You get peace of mind that your assets—human and digital—are safe, without restricting access to anytime, anywhere information.

—CTO, professional services15

“We have seen a 30% to 40% reduction in security incidents needing a person dispatched thanks to using Surface devices with Microsoft 365 E5.”

15 Forrester, 2020.

Do we have a modern approach to device security?51 2 3 4 6

6How easy is our device deployment and management?

Keeping all your devices current with the latest updates and protection is extremely difficult, even in a traditional office. That’s why most organizations were already rethinking traditional device deployment and management. The shift to hybrid workplaces has only accelerated that trend.

How easy is our device deployment and management?61 2 3 4 5

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Many businesses have already made great strides in cloud-based deployment in recent years. Technologies that take advantage of cloud deployment and management can reduce IT costs while improving employee productivity by providing devices that perform better and are always up-to-date.

Microsoft has helped drive those advances, pioneering a zero-touch deployment approach with Surface and Windows. Built for Autopilot, Surface reduces IT complexity and eliminates time-consuming corporate re-imaging by shipping and deploying straight to users’ hands. Every Surface ships from the factory enabled for Autopilot (except for Duo, which is Android OS enabled). This gives employees a secure, productive experience without an IT person ever needing to touch the device, which can be a huge benefit in hybrid workplaces.

An automated, self-service approach reduces the time to get a new device up and running from hours to minutes.

The same verified identity that enables zero-touch deployment also allows new, agile methods of managing Surface from the cloud, which reduces costs, time, and effort for IT. These methods also simplify the monitoring and management of device firmware, which can otherwise be a complicated process.

Surface uses built-in, chip-to-cloud security to shift the management emphasis from locking down devices to keeping them up to date and functioning at full performance. And with some devices designed to be repairable, you can also more easily maintain and extend the lifetime value of your investment. All of these features help IT manage the entire device lifecycle: before the device is deployed, during its use, and after it’s returned to be redeployed or retired.

By simplifying device deployment and management, IT can better connect hardware, software, apps, and services across a distributed workforce and multiple technologies. This simplification can help IT free up budget and resources for innovation, improvements, and other activities that generate business value.

How easy is our device deployment and management?61 2 3 4 5

236 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh

We used to spend the better part of a workday getting new devices ready for our end users. With Surface, the end user gets the device immediately and sets it up in 10 to 15 minutes. Microsoft Endpoint Manager, including Intune, does all the work for us.”

—VP and CISO, HR services16

16 Forrester, 2020.

How easy is our device deployment and management?61 2 3 4 5

6 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Hardware Refresh 24

The right technology for the future of work

Whenever you’re ready for your next device refresh, consider what Surface and Microsoft 365 can do for your business. Take the first step and learn more today.

Learn more about Surface >

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