PRESS RELEASE: ThingsAt delivers new paradigm for device fleet refresh for Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Trials touchless automated laptop swap and go service
Device as a Service (DaaS) provider, ThingsAt (https://www.thingsat.com), announced it has completed a device fleet refresh for Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (https://mcec.com.au/) (MCEC) staff that will revolutionise how fleets are managed and refreshed in the ‘new normal’ all via a 100% contactless service.
ThingsAt CEO Ruy Franco said that MCEC needed higher spec devices to manage the processing power required for new applications. “When companies across the country made the jump from office to home working amid the coronavirus pandemic, many rapidly deployed technology solutions with little regard to compute power, ongoing management, and cost, which was the only option at the time. However, as we move to our new normal, companies need to ensure they are set up for a sustainable future.”
This is posing a major challenge and risk for organisations with ageing laptop fleets. Fleets purchased several years ago, and close to their natural refresh cycle, were not scoped to run the amount of collaboration applications we see today.
ThingsAt has been working with customers to change the refresh paradigm. Using discovery and management software on the devices back to a central portal, ThingsAt reviews which devices need to be replaced first based on their condition.
Franco said, “After completing an in-depth discovery of the fleet, we advised MCEC the first refresh round needed was for replacement of 50 of its 300 device-strong fleet.
Graeme Dunn, Director Information Technology, MCEC said, “ThingsAt developed a unique approach for MCEC to implement a COVID safe rollout for a much-needed laptop upgrade. The delivery window was short, and the timing was critical for MCEC as it was part of a core system upgrade.”
ThingsAt worked with HP to find suitable stock, which involved upgrading existing locally sourced devices with additional RAM. It also provided MCEC with a demo device to run application testing prior to the rollout.
“In order to complete the refresh in a COVID safe way, we provided two options for staff. For those outside the 15km radius of MCEC, we preconfigured the device and sent it to their home. For those within the 15km zone we provided a drive-through swap and go service,” said Franco.
In this option, the staff member was able to drive to the convention centre. We were lucky that the convention centre has an extensive loading dock and a drop off area at the front of the building. We used that to have people drive in, collect a device, and go. People were on site for less than five minutes.
Before leaving, we had the user log into the network to confirm all services are working while they were still on site. We had support on standby for any issues. This way we knew that when the staff member left to go home, the device was working and ready to be used.”
This process allowed ThingsAt to move a lot faster while remaining COVID safe. It also reduced the number of hands a device comes in contact with, as staff at MCEC got a device that has only been handled by ThingsAt staff onsite at MCEC for the rollout.
“ThingsAt has proven that they are a customer first organisation, showing us time and time again that they are willing to provide unique solutions and go that extra mile,” said Dunn.
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About ThingsAt
Established in 2017, ThingsAt specialises in Device Asset Management (DAM) & Device as a Service (DaaS) with a vendor agnostic approach to securing the best cost and productivity outcomes for clients. The company combines hardware, software and services into a monthly fee which provides the flexibility to meet customers’ evolving and uniquely complex needs.
For more information visit www.thingsat.com or follow the company on LinkedIn @ThingsAt
