Hardware as a Service: A Guide for Small Businesses 2024

Businesses that have recently updated the majority of their IT hardware will benefit from waiting a couple of years before considering a HaaS agreement. On the flip side, businesses with a significant amount of aging tech can avoid a costly hit to their bank accounts by leasing their next round of computers, servers, printers, VoIP phones, and more.

Businesses that operate on thin margins can preserve their spending power through leases. HaaS leases completely avoid the large outlays that impact business savings or loan limits. Businesses that operate with healthy reserves and fluid accounts may not prefer to use their capital resources and maintain a slimmer operational budget.

Hardware as a service offers an incredible opportunity for most small businesses to outsource a significant drain on capital and management time. Many SMB managers already have to wear multiple hats, and most of them are ready to take off the one says “Default IT Person” on it. 

Businesses with a robust internal IT team can usually handle their own hardware needs, especially those that have created and adhere to an IT lifecycle policy. However, internal IT teams that are stretched thin, might benefit from a HaaS agreement, no matter how capable they are, and may even benefit a co-managed solution with an MSP. Businesses with zero internal IT support will almost always benefit from HaaS—either as a standalone agreement or as part of a full-service IT contract with an MSP. 

Some businesses are perfectly comfortable working with depreciation schedule, capital outlays, and planning for large purchases. Others prefer to minimize irregular expenses and convert as many capital expenses to operational expenses as possible. HaaS allows businesses to make this decision. Those that prefer a single, reliable number month after month will probably benefit from HaaS.

Although not everyone loves to be involved in every little detail of the business, some managers love to roll up their sleeves and get into the weeds. Those that enjoy such work, or prefer to have the greatest degree of control possible over their resources, will not find much appeal in HaaS. However, companies and managers that strive to focus on their strengths and outsource secondary concerns will find huge benefit in a tech lease.

If a business only needs two or three laptops, it will probably not even consider renting or leasing them. However, managers at businesses with a meaningful quantity and diversity of hardware (printers, phones, computers, servers, etc) often feel overwhelmed at the end of every year when they begin to budget what their employees need to purchase or replace.