Transitioning from a purchase model to an opex model

Transitioning from a purchase model to an opex model was key for ensuring organisational agility and productivity. This was the goal that top law firm Foot Anstey set themselves. Recognising that leasing their equipment was the way forward.

The firm’s IT leadership team had a lot of options to simply finance their purchases but what they received delivered a lot more. Dave Bloor, CTO at Foot Anstey:

“In recent years we had acquired a mixture of laptop models from different manufacturers. It's fair to say we tended to hang on to them longer than we should. Also, we realised having such a large depreciating portfolio of items on our capital expenditure list made very little sense. We don’t own the properties we work from, so why would we want to own a depreciating asset like hundred’s of computers?"

Project Summary

“InnoVent brought a completely new solution to us, which enabled us to take total control of our IT and our IT budget and give our staff the equipment they need, with the support and agility they deserve. We needed 160 laptops and were keen to standardise on a Dell product. InnoVent gave us a 3-year subscription model that not only saved us money but also moved it from our capital expense budget to a very low, quarterly payment plan.”

That was not all that Foot Anstey received as part of the InnoVent subscription model. Working with Dell and Foot Anstey’s current service provider, the firm received a low-touch solution for their IT team whereby the two chosen models of laptops were sourced, imaged using Microsoft InTune & Autopilot. These models were then deployed across their southwest offices and the old equipment collected then data wiped to be reused.

Given the success of the laptop rollout project, Foot Anstey entrusted InnoVent to deploy Dell monitors into their offices, taking advantage of their staff working predominantly from home. Monitors were supplied, serial numbers captured and installed throughout multiple offices in the southwest.

Shaun Friend, Head of Technology Services commented:

“The screen installs were effortless and the feedback from each office was very complimentary. Our Head of Facilities commented that the insurance / RAMs documentation was some of the most comprehensive and tailored he had seen provided by a third party performing work for us onsite.”

Adrian Saint, COO of InnoVent Leasing, was keen to ensure that all the IT issues were resolved so Foot Anstey could focus on what they do best. “InnoVent has established a strong, mutually beneficial working partnership with Foot Anstey where shared ideas and best practices have resulted in a bespoke “device as a service” solution that reduces the time, cost and IT resources required to deploy mobile and office-based technology within the firm. It has been a pleasure to work closely with Foot Anstey’s IT leadership team to develop a bespoke subscription solution that provides the technology Foot Anstey’s employees require to allow for truly agile working.”

Corporate Responsibility and supporting the Circular Economy

The days of throwing computers into landfill are over and Foot Anstey was looking for something that added greater value to the community and environment in their supply chain partnership. Foot Anstey believes in the importance of being a good corporate citizen, supporting the local community, and contributing to a circular economy.

Working with InnoVent, which has built its business model on ensuring the maximum life from all IT, Foot Anstey turned redundant laptops into up-to-date devices, allowing the firm to donate the equipment. After a data purge using Blancco, portable appliance testing, diagnostics, software updates, the provision of new power packs, and a good clean, the laptops looked as good as new. 70 were sold and are reused by Aspirational Training, being given to young adults to help them train and find employment.

Another 50 laptops were donated to continue their life benefiting the Plymouth education community, and a further 50 laptops were donated to a Bristol school and refugees in the city in collaboration with boxing charity Empire Fighting Chance. Dave Bloor, CTO at Foot Anstey:

“Our community-focused sustainability agenda is important to us, and this was an opportunity to improve our CSR value, which made it an excellent solution for us. Not only did we receive the most up-to-date technology, a very low usage fee, and a superb support package but all the other benefits that InnoVent Leasing bought to the table as well. We have the luxury that in three years we can choose to return or keep all, or just some, of the laptops we have acquired.

“We would not hesitate to recommend InnoVent Leasing to other law firms looking to make their IT a real asset and not a liability.”