Leasing: Is it still an option in a cloudier landscape?

In the July issue of Comms Dealer, our Kaleidoscope feature (a collection of viewpoints from across the industry on a given subject) asks whether there’s still a place for leasing plans in the comms industry when so many systems are now hosted and delivered and paid for on a monthly basis anyway.

Dan MacKrell, National Sales Manager at Shire Leasing, is convinced leasing in the predominantly hosted world ahead has a big role to play: “Historically, leasing companies have provided finance to businesses, so they can move capital expenditure to an operational expense. This fits perfectly with the demand from customers to consume ICT solutions on a subscription model, so the future is bright.”

Vincenzo Scalzone, Head of Technology Vendor at Societe Generale Equipment Finance believes its all about flexibility: “As cloud telephony is sold through licenses, leasing gives the customer the flexibility of managing their costs and making system upgrades and refreshes easy and affordable. The resellers benefit from accelerated revenue and lower customer credit risk.

Martin Arden, ICT Sales Director at BNP Parabas, believes leasing is set to become even stronger and more in-demand. “Customers need to regularly refresh technology to ensure they remain competitive in their market. The key to success is understanding customers’ business models and futureproofing your offering.”

Dan Procter, Commercial Director at Henry Howard Finance, agrees: “The transaction for a 20-user system is now £2,000 as opposed to £20,000 but the exponential increase in deals means that the lease company can spread risk over more customers with smaller exposures. The future is good!”

To read the full article and see further comments from NTA, Nimans, TechData, Vanilla IP and Tower Leasing download the Kaleidoscope Using the link below: