Zoom is launching a hardware-as-a-service offering that aims to make deploying Zoom Rooms more accessible by lessening the restrictions around procuring hardware.
The program, dubbed Zoom hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), gives Zoom Rooms customers the ability to deploy Zoom Rooms hardware with a variety of subscription options for phone and meeting room hardware, the company says in a press release.
The program includes budget-friendly hardware options and simple technology upgrades at fixed monthly prices, which sounds a lot like what AV integrators offer.
Other features of Zoom HaaS include streamlined purchasing, scalability and managed support through Zoom with the ability to add professional and managed services for installation and enhanced end-to-end management.
Also in the announcement, Zoom said AV integrators and Zoom resellers are still viable options, but Zoom HaaS offers a turnkey solution, cost-effective solution for smaller deployments.
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For the program, Zoom is partnering with some of AV’s biggest hardware brands, like DTEN, Neat, Poly and Yealink.
“Amazing hardware partnerships are a key part of Zoom’s ecosystem,” says Velchamy Sankarlingam, President of Product and Engineering at Zoom, in a statement. “With many people globally coping with today’s unique challenges, easy access to hardware is critical for offices, distance learning, telehealth, and more. Zoom Hardware as a Service will help users adapt to new work-from-anywhere environments by making it easier than ever before to get access to the latest and greatest hardware for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Phone.
Zoom isn’t the first videoconferencing service to offer hardware plans, however. Lifesize, a Zoom competitor, launched a similar service in December.
Expect more to follow, reports ZDNet. Videoconferencing and collaboration providers in both hardware and software may look to offer as-a-service plans with hardware companies, including Cisco’s WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Amazon Chime.
