CSI Leasing Customer:

• Global supplier of oil and gas exploration equipment
• North American headquarters leases most technology equipment from CSI
• 2,000 employees at this location
• Customer since 2001

The Problem
The customer had 2,000 desktops and laptops on lease with CSI and was ready to upgrade to Active Directory. Most of these machines were two or more years into their three-year lease. The customer was concerned about the per-desk downtime required for the upgrade, especially considering they would soon be visiting each desk side a second time to replace the equipment at end of lease. Delaying the upgrade to Active Directory, however, was not an option for the customer.

The Solution
By terminating the existing leases early and installing new equipment, the customer combined two major events into one. All necessary work for both the Active Directory upgrade and the tech refresh happened away from users’ desks with minimal work disruption. And, as an additional bonus, the customer cut its monthly lease payment for PCs and laptops by 30 percent.

How We Did It
Because CSI is independent from a parent manufacturer, we encouraged the customer to shop each of the major PC manufacturers and consider undergoing a technology refresh ahead of schedule to coincide with the Active Directory upgrade. Without a captive lessor having a hold on the company, it had nothing to lose by getting multiple equipment quotes. Additionally, if the customer wanted to switch brands we would help make it happen.

Sure enough, the customer found it had enough bargaining power to secure great pricing on new equipment – and it was not from the incumbent. Some simple calculations by CSI revealed that installing new equipment right away would translate into immediate savings. Why? With a motivated new manufacturer looking to displace a competitor’s footprint, the lower negotiated price on the PCs allowed CSI to write a new lease with a 30 percent reduction on the monthly payments.