Microsoft is all for marketing its products as a service. First we had Windows 10 touted as a continuous service rather than a platform. Next, Microsoft announced that it would be introducing Surface hardware into enterprises through a leasing program. The company is now expanding the scope of that service to include the Surface Hub as well.
The Surface Hub isn’t exactly a personal device. I mean yeah, technically you could spend $8,999 and get one to put up in your home, however, its more of an enterprise thing. In fact, not every company is willing to shell out that amount of money — $8,999 after all, is just the start and you could end up spending $21,999 for the 84-inch version as well.
So, that is why the company is expanding the scope of its Surface as a Service program to bring the Surface Hub under its awning as well.
Announcing the news, the company said:
Following the success of Surface as a Service, we’re introducing a similar way to help customers procure Surface Hub. I’m happy to announce we will now offer Surface Hub via a subscription-based model, including initial investment and configuration costs.
The company also announced a Surface Hub Value Added Distributors Program for Opportunity Resellers (VAD-OR). The program will let select Surface Hub distributors deliver the same quality services to Opportunity Resellers without needing to fulfill all the usual requirements needed for building a long-term transactional business.
Finally, the Microsoft has launched a Surface Hub Try & Buy Program. The program will kick off from February 15th, and will let resellers across the United States, Europe and Asia provide their customers with Hubs for 30 days before requiring a commitment to purchase a larger set of devices. The reasoning behind this scheme is that the customers will so love the Surface Hubs, that they will place a larger order. Well, that is some commendable confidence on Microsoft’s part.
The company also shared some data associated with Surface Hub sales. Despite its high price point, the company has managed to ship Surface Hubs to over 2,000 customers in 24 markets — in merely nine months since our launch.
We’ve seen single orders as small as one unit and as large as 1,500 units.
Meanwhile, the new programs are driven by Microsoft’s belief that a majority of enterprises will move to subscription-based IT procurement over the next three years.
