How to Upgrade Your Corporate Mobile Fleet

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Laptops, smartphones, and tablets are essential for employee productivity, but how long can the same device suffice? Each year, manufacturers release upgraded models equipped with the latest features and capabilities. How do you determine when it’s time to transition? And once you decide, what’s the best way for your organization to enhance its mobile fleet effectively and cost-efficiently?

Unauthorized device purchases burn 1-2% of IT budgets, and regular hardware and software upgrades can help reduce this impact.

Step 1

Assess Your Devices and Upgrade Needs

Start with a comprehensive audit of your existing mobile devices. An up-to-date inventory will help you assess the total number of devices currently in use across your organization, which operating systems they run on, and pinpoint which models are due for an upgrade.

Keep in mind that just because a device is eligible for an upgrade doesn’t mean it needs to be replaced. Most hardware can last up to 10 years, and it’s generally recommended that companies refresh their mobile devices every 2 to 4 years to stay in step with rapidly evolving technology.

Next, determine your organization’s device requirements:

Hardware Specifications: Consider important factors such as battery life, storage capacity, display quality, processor speed, connectivity options, and security features, and anything that can impact device performance.
Software Needs: Identify any critical software updates or applications necessary for business operations.
Desired Services and Accessories: Think about any additional services or accessories that could enhance functionality. For example, car mounts for employees on the go or styluses for designers and engineers.

See how Tangoe shipped 800 devices per week, deploying 53K devices to 3500 stores.

Step 2

Calculate Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for Your Corporate Mobile Upgrade

Next, you’ll need to run some calculations testing different scenarios. To determine the most cost-effective options, thoroughly assess the total cost of ownership over the expected lifespan of the upgraded devices. Begin by calculating the initial purchase costs, which include the price of the device itself (utilizing bulk price discounts to reduce the unit cost) and any necessary accessories.

Don’t forget to factor in additional costs such as software licensing, training, and expenses related to migrating to the new devices. You may even want to consider a Mobile Device Management (MDM) service to lend a helping hand with device setup, shipments, deployments, and security management.

Next consider the cost of your mobile data service and any increases to them. It’s important to analyze your data usage patterns to find the most economical data plan. With cell phones for instance, decide whether an unlimited data plan or a pooled plan will be more cost-effective for your organization’s needs. Here’s more guidance on choosing the right mobile data plan.

Other factors to consider include:

Asset Depreciation: Assess how the value of the devices will decline over time and how this affects financial reporting.
IT Support: Help desk or technical support including global availability with services in multiple languages
Repairs and Maintenance: Some MDM providers offer device-specific repairs like Tangoe for Apple
End-of-life Costs: Remember to account for expenses related to the decommissioning of your old devices as well as recycling them in a secure, eco-friendly manner. Maximize your returns by exploring trade-in, buyback, and recycling programs that offer credits or cashback for old devices, regardless of type, age, or condition.

Mobile device management services can reduce overall costs, saving companies 20-30% on average. Tangoe allows you to drive mobile cost optimization faster without overburdening internal resources.

About 12% of phones are upgraded on an annual basis.

Step 3

Explore Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) for More Predictable Mobility Costs

When upgrades are prohibitively expensive, some companies prefer to switch their approach to mobility. DaaS providers like Tangoe offer a comprehensive package that includes hardware leasing, software licensing, maintenance, and support, making mobility upgrades and management more efficient and cost-effective.

This approach can help you:

1 Control Costs:

Better manage your budget with expenses that are bundled into one predictable monthly fee.

2 Simplify Device Management:

Oversee devices more easily with fewer resources.

3 Enhance Flexibility:

Scale your device fleet up or down effortlessly to adapt to changing business needs, avoiding the complexities associated with traditional purchasing methods.

Over 80% of companies plan to modify mobile ownership strategies to address evolving business requirements.

Step 4

Provision and Deploy

How can your organization expedite provisioning and setup times, ensuring that upgraded devices reach employees quickly? The right Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution is crucial for mobility managers.

Here’s what your provider should deliver:

Scalable Mobile Provisioning: Avoid supply chain issues with full-service procurement that includes a configurable catalog. Simplify the process of obtaining quotes and ordering devices, services, and accessories. Tangoe’s new Mobile Store provides an e-commerce platform with step-by-step instructions for ordering devices, freeing up valuable IT resources while ensuring compliance and improving security and cost control.
Customized Kitting: Streamline operations by outsourcing the manual tasks of configuring, kitting, testing, and shipping secure mobile devices globally.
Simplified Onboarding and Governance: Look for an EMM solution that features an intuitive self-service system for easy mobile upgrades.
Broad Integration: Ensure the EMM provider’s platform can seamlessly integrate with other essential systems such as your human resources management (HRM) system, Unified Endpoint Security (UEM) application, and identity management tools. This flexibility is critical for delivering real-time updates that strengthen overall mobile management.

Tangoe One Mobile Logistics

4 Reasons to Let Tangoe Upgrade Your Mobile Fleet

Tangoe’s managed mobility services have over 14M devices under management, helping maximize efficiency, better manage expenses, and optimize the device lifecycle.

Here’s why you want to work with Tangoe when upgrading your fleet of devices:

1

An online store that makes it easy to upgrade devices to the latest hardware and technologies. Pre-approved devices and preferred carriers auto-populate based on selected parameters and can be changed anytime.

2

Mobile device refresh services across the entire device lifecycle, from pre-configured kitting and global shipping to the decommissioning of retired devices with NIST-certified data wiping processes and tracking.

3

An industry-leading buyback program that helps maximize ROI on current mobile inventory.

4

Mobile spend management services proven to optimize the cost of mobile assets and improve financial management and governance processes.