Purchasing has historically been the typical way of acquiring communications. In recent years however, operational leasing or “long-term rental”, has become increasingly popular and it provides benefits for you.
Increased protection
When you rent a complete communication solution your rather pay for the service communication instead of a lot of equipment. This means that the supplier guarantees functionality throughout the term of the contract. In other words, the warranty does not expire after a few years and you are equally protected year four as day seven.
With modern equipment, the supplier also remotely can monitor system health and get warnings about potential issues allowing them to be fixed before they affect operations. An aspect that increases operational reliability and therefore also security.
Just how safe you can feel naturally varies depending on the supplier but at least all warranties, maintenance and technical support should be included in the subscription throughout the term.
Better control
Safety also applies to costs. Thanks to the all-inclusive subscription fee, you know even before signing the contract what the system costs will be over time.
Another financial aspect with long-term rentals (operational leasing) is that it does not require any capital investment since it is a purely operational expense. Nor does it affect your balance sheet with fixed assets or your income statement with depreciations. [Applies to Swedish legislation].
More flexibility
Adding more devices, new features or in any other way altering the extent or capacity of the system is also easier when to rent a service rather than buying a system. After the change has been introduced, the subscription fee is raised to reflect the update.
The fee itself can also be customised. It can be paid per user, per organisation or perhaps per cost centre. The same goes for timing, meaning monthly, quarterly or annually.
An increase may also be needed only temporarily. For instance, you might need additional devices for a shorter period, like when larger plants have planned downtime and multiple contractors work temporarily on the premises. Then it is extra convenient to rent.
The same features
Since the same equipment is in question, regardless if installed on site or at the supplier, there is no difference for the users. After all, the only difference is the relationship between ownership and access rights. Only you know what is most suitable for your organisation.