Chromebook Leasing for Schools: The Benefits of Device as a Service
Before you start purchasing Chromebooks for your school, you need to be aware that buying isn’t the only option if you want to provide your students with these devices. You might want to consider looking into Chromebook leasing for schools first.
Availing yourself of a good Chromebook leasing deal can help streamline your school’s cash flow and gain flexibility, among other benefits. However, there are a couple of things to factor in before you make the final decision, so let’s take a closer look at leasing to see if it’s indeed better suited for your organization.
How Does Device as a Service Work?
Some vendors that offer Chromebook leasing include several value-added services and package them—the hardware, software, and added services—into what is known as Device as a Service, or DaaS. Depending on the service provider, a DaaS package may include maintenance, software updates/patches, optimizations, cybersecurity and compliance reporting, remote administration, and many other services. While some vendors provide the financing themselves, others use third-party finance companies.
Typically, a Chromebook lease agreement would include clauses for the following:
- Costs: This would mainly include the regular fixed payments (monthly, quarterly, or annual payments) but may also include other not-so-obvious costs. More on this shortly.
- Minimum lease period: This is the shortest period for which you will have to make fixed payments. This can’t be changed, and you will have to pay a premium if you pre-terminate, so make sure you don’t pick a lease period that’s too long.
- End-of-lease obligations: You might have certain obligations and additional charges to fulfill when you return the devices.
Is Device as a Service a Good Option for the Education Sector?
Whether or not DaaS is a good option for you depends largely on a few factors, such as your school’s IT budget, the size of your student population, etc. Let’s look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of using DaaS so you can judge for yourself.
Benefits of DaaS
DaaS has several benefits. DaaS can allow you to:
- Operate on a more sustainable budget. Because you don’t have to produce a large cash outlay or down payment up front, you can have a more flexible cash flow even if you have a relatively small budget.
- Gain possible tax benefits on fixed payments. If your contract is considered an operating lease, you may be allowed to consider those payments as operating expenses, which makes them tax-deductible.
- Gain more flexibility to upgrade obsolete devices. If you go for short-term leases, you can upgrade to newer devices more frequently without making a substantial increase (if ever) in your fixed payments.
- Get repair and exchange assistance. If, for whatever reason, a Chromebook breaks down, you don’t have to repair the faulty device yourself. The DaaS provider may provide repair and exchange assistance. Just be aware that, in some cases, you still need to get accidental damage coverage or a separate maintenance contract to avail of these types of services.
Drawbacks of DaaS
The negative aspects about DaaS are:
- Leasing can be more expensive in the long run. If you compute the cumulative costs, leasing is only cheaper in the first couple of years. As you go out farther, purchasing may turn out to be more affordable.
- Once the contract ends, the school doesn’t own anything. Unlike purchased Chromebooks, where you can keep the devices for as long as they’re still usable and until they’re disposed, leased Chromebooks have to be returned at the end of the contract.
- Leased devices may not be brand new. Not all leased Chromebooks are brand new. Some may have already gone through a previous lease and simply refurbished, so this is something you need to inquire about.
- There may be hidden costs. Usually, too much focus is given to the regular fixed payments. You also need to pay attention to other terms in your lease contract such as costs for lost or damaged devices, early lease termination, data cleansing, etc.
Clearly, there are pros and cons to getting Chromebooks through DaaS. Schools must weigh out the benefits and drawbacks and decide based on their IT budgets and specific needs. For example, if you can’t afford a steep up-front cost and cash flow is crucial to your operations, then DaaS just might be your best option. Also, as explained earlier, the devil is in the details, so be sure you scrutinize the lease contract thoroughly before signing the dotted line.
Get the Most Out of Chromebooks with Parallels Desktop for Chrome OS
Regardless of whether you acquire them through a lease or a purchase, Chromebooks are a great way to prepare your students for education’s rapidly evolving landscape. To streamline your Chromebook program, equip your Chromebooks with Parallels® Desktop for Chrome OS. Check out the system requirements.
Parallels Desktop for Chrome OS is an easy-to-use and cost-effective solution that allows users to access Windows-based applications without needing an internet connection. This is crucial for maintaining student productivity, as most users are more familiar with Windows-based applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Parallels Desktop also makes it easy for IT staff to manage your fleet of Chromebooks through Google Admin Console’s centralized administrator interface. However, Windows management is separate and needs to be managed through another solution, such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM).
