Apparently, though, some companies just aren’t comfortable buying boatloads of these items straight from Microsoft or Amazon. To change that, Microsoft has announced partnerships with Dell, HP and Accenture, all of whom can now sell Surface Pros. In addition, they will all provide post-sales support and services.
Related: Microsoft’s Surface is the shining star of an otherwise dismal earnings report
One example of such additional service, from Liliputing, involves a company purchasing a number of Surface Pro tablets from Dell. In such a case, the customer will also receive a year of basic hardware support, and Dell has also confirmed that prospective buyers will be able to make use of its configuration and deployment services too. This will make it easier for companies to upgrade large numbers of systems at one time without interrupting work flow.
Essentially, what Microsoft is hoping to do with this move is to insert its hardware into the upgrade cycles of major companies that already have their go-to manufacturer. If a company is used to upgrading with Dell or HP systems, using their additional services and enjoying the personal contacts it has at those firms, that company is much more likely to use Microsoft hardware if they can get it from the same old channel.
If this move works out, a number of new avenues for Surface sales will open up. It remains to be seen whether those firms, once they become more aware of Microsoft’s hardware, will approve of those new products.
