How to simplify PC deployment

How to simplify PC deployment

Simple choices, such as outsourcing deployment to HP, can take the pain out of big roll-outs.

New computers have a hidden cost. It’s not just the purchase price. The way you deploy them can add a significant hidden burden. It takes time to move a new computer to the library, lab, computer room or office where it will be used. Then you have to unpack it, plug it in, configure it and take away the packaging. Add in the cost of disposing of the old computer safely and it all adds up to a lot of hassle, time and money. No university or college IT department has time or money to burn.

In a typical IT department, according to analysts Gartner, labour costs are three times capital budgets. In other words, humans cost more than computers. If you cut the amount of unnecessary busy work like unboxing PCs, you can save money or - more likely - put your people to work on something more productive.

Streamline the process

• Standardise systems. Choosing systems that are consistent over time - with long product life cycles - and that feature Intel® Stable Image Platform processor technology, will ensure that your IT staff can learn how to deploy and support systems better. It also means less training and quicker problem solving. Similarly, look for interchangeable or industry standard spare parts and accessories, such as docking stations or monitors. Finally, choose systems that share a single software image that include settings, e.g. network configurations, that will work for your institution. This will speed up deployments and simplify management.
  
  
• Review work flows. Look for ways to streamline and simplify deployments. Is it easier to configure systems in the computer room or at the user’s desk? Could end-users self-install, if the system were already configured? Can you outsource some or all of the process? Is it easier to do a large-scale deployment in one heave or spread it out over the academic year? Can you take advantage of holidays to minimise the impact on staff and students?

Take the long view

• Take advantage of vendors’ recycling schemes. In the UK, HP provides free recycling once a customer has returned the equipment to an HP designated collection point, providing that HP is supplying a replacement product. HP can also provide additional services to simplify end-of-life disposal. These include erasing data and collection from customer premises.
  
  
• Plan for the end at the beginning. Buy computers that meet high standards for recyclability (as HP’s do). Also, choose computers that have built-in data-wiping (again, as HP’s do) so that hard disks can be erased securely before computers are handed over to third parties.
  

How HP can help

HP Direct, including product customisation and prime services, allows your college or university to buy HP products that are configured to your exact specifications and to have them delivered direct; even to end-user desktops or other locations on campus.

This means increased efficiency through a streamlined procurement process, a lower cost of ownership by using standardised solutions and a better return on your technology investment with strategic advice from a dedicated account team.

HP product customisation

HP can customise your hardware in our factories, adding asset tags, third-party products, installing standard software images, etc.

This eliminates unnecessary second touches in your IT department. It also allows direct shipping to end-users, reducing the cost of transportation and shortening deployment lead times.

Factory customisation can also ensure that all your equipment has a consistent configuration. In a sense, our ISO 9001:2001-registered factories and our staff become an extension of your IT department.

HP prime services

HP can also help deliver, unpack and set up new hardware, and remove packaging and old computers. You can outsource some or all of the process to HP. Compared with the hidden cost of DIY, HP’s prime services - with a single point of accountability for the whole process - could end up saving time, money and stress. Services include:

• Planning. Technical assistance and project management to help prepare for a large deployment.
  
  
• Logistics. HP offers a wide range of logistics options. We can, for example, deliver individual PCs to individual users, or consolidated deliveries to a single location.
  
  
• Configuration. HP can personalise systems so that they arrive with the right user names, IP addresses, Intel® vPro™ configuration, location codes and other personalised information. Finishing can be done on the customer’s premises, at the user’s desk or in HP’s staging area.
  
  
• Installation. HP can set up individual PCs on the user’s desk, connect it to the network and peripherals, load and register software, migrate data, provide training, remove packaging and recycle old equipment.