Background
A global food manufacturer, as part of its purpose-led performance approach to growth, wanted to establish an enterprise-wide standard for field workers’ devices to help with its digital transformation goals.
Challenge
To ensure its field-based employees could be brand ambassadors and work to support flavour development, the company wanted to provide them with Microsoft Surface i7 laptops. It needed to source 180 devices in four months.
However, Covid-19 had caused unprecedented global shortages in the key elements required to build electrical items. In turn, sourcing and building laptops was significantly harder than ever before, and the Surface i7 was not yet released in the UK.
Acquiring these specific laptops was essential. Failure would have put the UK branch behind its other regions and the variance in devices would inhibit the organisation’s growth plans.
“The devices give our field workers flexibility, connectivity, and let them collaborate wherever they are. Without them being delivered and tested pre-market release, our UK operations would not have aligned with our US operations. Insight went above and beyond to secure and deliver them despite a global hardware shortage.”
“It’s a testament to Insight’s close relationship with Microsoft that it was able to source so many devices, so quickly, before they were publicly released. We’re very grateful.”
IT Director, UK
Solution and Outcome
Employing 14,000 people globally, from C-suite to chefs, the organisation knows the importance of providing its staff with the best available tools. Insight stepped in and negotiated directly with Microsoft to source them specially for the client. This was only possible thanks to Insight’s longstanding relationship and buying power with Microsoft.
To ensure 180 laptops reached the end users within four months of the request, Insight established a regular communication channel with Microsoft and its distribution partner. These communications also provided transparency of the production timeline.
The delivery process included Insight’s Dead on Arrival (DOA) check for every device, with Insight’s Integration Services Department testing every unit for potential system faults. This guarantees that each device is in plug-and-play working order. By testing ahead of dispatch, Insight saved the company’s IT department hundreds of hours – time which could, as a result, be redirected towards other important IT projects.
Taking control of the testing also guaranteed the Surface i7s would be in the hands of the organisation’s field workforce faster.
Why Insight?
Insight is not a new supplier for this global flavour manufacturer, having previously established a global agreement that ensured set pricing. Because of this, Insight knew the client’s operations and requirements well, and Insight was considered a trusted partner able to produce the large number of devices at the pre-determined price.
Insight also specialises in highly efficient, large-scale deployment and integration of hardware, with a particular focus on Surface device adoption. This means Insight can offer a simplified acquisition process and end-to-end management including Dead on Arrival testing on all Surface devices.
