Disruption is one of the less popular buzzwords, somewhat unavoidable, even if no one really wants it. Because disruption always means change, and change (supposedly) means bidding farewell to cherished habits and processes that have been also in place for decades.
Disruption is also present in IT equipment
For the past five years, I have been supporting companies in critically questioning their habits concerning IT equipment, especially mobile devices—first as Senior VP of Strategy & Partnerships and now in my new role as Chief Revenue Officer.
This is becoming increasingly easier because successful corporate CIOs are doing it themselves. One of their typical questions: “Why do we have a single enterprise-wide productivity SaaS platform like Microsoft 365 that serves all employees, but still have 30 different local hardware providers?”
There’s no answer to this question other than self-imposed constraints and “that’s just the way it is.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. CIOs increasingly understand the benefits of applying the principles of cloud computing to end-user computing. This means transitioning from ownership to secure utilization of smartphones, tablets, and laptops through a comprehensive and sustainable service.
Use instead of own
It sounds simple: We no longer own iPhones & Co; we just use them. When they are no longer needed or become outdated, we return them. Great! Because this is not only environmentally sound but also provides a much more flexible setup for employees. And that’s the lofty goal: Hardware should be delivered on-demand and scalable.
To achieve this, we have developed a new, flexible model in collaboration with credit structuring teams from several global banks that aligns with our goal of promptly providing devices in sufficient quantities (exceptions confirm the rule).
User experience is what matters
A comprehensive service is also more convenient for IT leaders: they can rely on “device as a service” (DaaS) without having to constantly delve into the fine print of leasing agreements.
But what sounds simple is complex in practice. For this to work, software, service, (re)financing, sustainability, and implementation must be combined into one single platform—and that’s exactly what we have built.
We aim to provide an Amazon-like user experience for mobile devices: Uncompromising service orientation and seamless workflows, for both the responsible device fleet admins and the end-users.
End-users should be able to manage everything related to their devices, according to the company’s compliance, with just a few clicks. Standard cases include onboarding, incident management (broken screen, a classic!), and offboarding, which can be significantly streamlined with DaaS.
Technically, the focus is on connecting to a REST-API, workflow integrations, and monthly usage-based billing, including all damages. This finally brings cost transparency to mobile equipment.
From one year to eight weeks
During our service data analysis, we also noticed that many manual services that IT providers offer do not lead to increased productivity or cost reduction. There are long lead times and often the dreaded big-bang project management.
In contrast, the Everphone service is designed so that companies can go live with their entire device fleet in just one day. Thanks to full automation, we can individually equip up to 60,000 employees with new devices in eight weeks. Customers benefit from our sophisticated project methodology, as we reduce internal planning efforts for large rollouts from more than a year to six to eight weeks.
Sustainability is important, too
We are also consistent in sustainability. After only 24 months, Everphone ranks among the top 25 percent of sustainable companies—but there is still more to be done. As part of the circular economy, we aim to set sustainability standards. Therefore, device reuse, enabling private use, as well as CO2 tracking and offsetting, are core elements of our product.
“We are the IT disruptors”
Our customers’ CIOs and our users love Everphone, but in a 40-year-old industry, we have essentially become public enemy number one in less than five years. We are perceived as IT disruptors—and that motivates us immensely to do even more. And more is needed.
As a newly appointed CRO, I am grateful for the trust of our investors and our founder, Jan. Our board and our partners, especially Deutsche Telekom, also place a lot of trust in me. I truly look forward to continuing to write this global growth story.
In the future, we will focus even more on specific industries and their individual challenges. The goal is for CIOs to maximize the ROI from their DaaS implementations. The journey of digital re- and upskilling has only just begun.
