Surface Hub announces customer subscription, deployment options and application innovation

Today, ISE 2017, the largest AV and integrated systems conference in the world, kicks off in Amsterdam. The Surface Hub team is pleased to share exciting news from our partners and customers on the eve of ISE.

In December, we shared details on the momentum and adoption Surface Hub is seeing in the workplace. By the end of 2016, nine months since our launch, we shipped Surface Hubs to over 2,000 customers in 24 markets. We’ve seen single orders as small as one unit and as large as 1,500 units in the pipeline.* The demand for Surface Hub has been incredible, leading us to introduce new ways for our partners and customers and application developers to take advantage of everything that Surface Hub has to offer. From new service offerings, to new procurement methods and an ever-growing application ecosystem, here’s how Surface Hub is gearing up to have another incredible year in 2017:

Announcing New Subscription, Deployment Options

Following the success of Surface as a Service, we’re introducing a similar way to help customers procure Surface Hub. I’m happy to announce we will now offer Surface Hub via a subscription-based model, including initial investment and configuration costs. Recent research from IDC shows that businesses have a clear appetite for this type of subscription model. With 73 percent of respondents expecting to move to subscription-based IT procurement over the next three years.

Additionally, we’re happy to formally launch the Surface Hub Value Added Distributors Program for Opportunity Resellers (VAD-OR). The Surface Hub VAD-OR Program allows select Surface Hub distributors to deliver the same quality services to Opportunity Resellers without the typical requirements for building a long-term transactional business.

We are very pleased to see that our channel partners are innovating with us to bring these propositions to market. The first partner to offer Surface Hub as a Service and the VAD-OR programs to its customers in the U.K. and other markets soon is our great partner, Maverick.

This service is a real channel game changer for the collaboration market. Many companies offer various forms of leasing; our process will be far more sophisticated and accessible. We will be kicking off this service in partnership with Microsoft this year on a country by country basis to offer Surface Hub as a Service. This will enable resellers to access a subscription model then only have the Hub in place for as long as they need. The successful implementation of this type of program will create a far quicker sales cycle with more sophisticated solutions.

— Jon Sidwick, VP of Maverick Europe

ALSO, who was one of our first partners to offer Surface as a Service, will also be offering the Surface Hub VAD-OR program.

Microsoft Surface Hub is a perfect solution for ALSO’s strategy to foster its position as a value added solution provider. Partners are offered numerous complementary services from ALSO like logistics, trainings, installations, network integration or financial services to fulfill their customer needs. This solution presents the perfect opportunity for our resellers to win big projects without jeopardizing their liquidity and be a full solution provider for their customers.

— Philipp Grüter, European Partner Manager, ALSO

Surface Hub Try & Buy Program

In addition to Surface Hub as a Service and the VAD-OR programs, I am proud to also announce the Surface Hub Try & Buy Program. Beginning February 15^th, resellers across the U.S., U.K., Europe and Asia will provide their customers with Hubs for 30 days before requiring a commitment to purchase a larger set of devices. We know once customers try Surface Hub they will love it.

Expanding App Ecosystem

Surface Hub can run any Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, and provides an unparalleled opportunity for large-screen pen and touch interactions that can transform business processes and foster new ways of collaboration across teams. Today, over 20 industry-leading application developers have designed specific experiences for Surface Hub. These apps include robust collaboration applications as well as industry-specific apps for healthcare, education, manufacturing, design and construction. One of those great app partners is Bullclip:

Our design and construction customers rely on being able to communicate and collaborate on complex drawings and documents, no matter where they are in the world. The Surface Hub unlocks incredible opportunities in this way. On-site Bullclip users can collaborate with-real time ink on drawings between the Hub and other devices, and the Hub’s high-fidelity and pressure sensitive screen makes the experience just like using pen and paper. The Surface Hub is a perfect companion to Bullclip and Drawboard. The days of printing A0 sheets are gone.

— Nathan Field, Head of Marketing, Drawboard

Another amazing innovation designed specifically for Surface Hub is from Stormboard, who has just released a new 2-way collaborative whiteboard feature. Stormboard users could always collaborate in real-time, but the sketching component was limited to one user at one time. Today’s release lets unlimited users in unlimited locations on any device draw together to help turn their ideas into action.

The Microsoft Surface Hub is a fantastic device for boardroom collaboration. Our customers tell us their favorite way to use Stormboard is on the Surface Hub. The new multi-user white-boarding lets visual thinkers easily capture their ideas in a real-time shared space instantly in the same room or around the world.

— Reg Cheramy, CEO of Stormboard

We are committed to working with our customers to make sure as many customers as possible can utilize the best Surface Hub has to offer. By bringing options like the Surface Hub as a Service, Try & Buy and Opportunity Resellers Program to market, our customers now have multiple options to experience and implement the Surface Hub technology within their organization and bring them one step closer to achieving total Digital Transformation.

As you can see, we’re very excited about the momentum that new programs like these drive with Surface Hub. If you’re a partner or customer that is interested in finding out more about what Surface Hub has to offer, check out more information here.