Gutsy MSP Thumbs Nose at Dell

Whether this is a publicity stunt, scare tactic or a sincere bid to serve customers spooked by Dell’s possible move to go private, the announcement by MSP Enstep Technology Solutions took a lot of moxie.

News has been circulating that Michael Dell wants to take his namesake company private, and is lining up nearly $25 billion in funding to do so.

Enstep stepped into this situation, arguing that small and medium-size businesses should consider Hardware as a Service (HaaS), something Enstep just happens to have, rather than continuing to buy loads of on-premises infrastructure and support from a company that might be in jeopardy – that would be Dell.

“The future of Dell is uncertain with a big move like going private. If they run into issues, including possible bankruptcy, who will be there to support customers who invested in their hardware? Hardware as a Service is the best solution for many small and medium businesses, because we will be there to support the business regardless," said Enstep Technology CEO Brett Passmore.

This MSP Today reporter has covered Dell for years, has met Michael Dell, and has used probably a dozen Dell computers over the years. Raising a bankruptcy flag for a company in the kind of shape Dell is in is irresponsible. In Dell’s latest quarter it pulled in over $14 billion and had operating income of nearly $700 million. I don’t think Dell has to turn its rolodex over to Chapter 11 lawyers just yet.

On the flip side, Enstep is asking you to trust its corporate stability over that of Dell, but with what proof?

Enstep’s approach to HaaS is a bit different from Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) where the hardware is all in the cloud. With Enstep, “Hardware as a Service is a procurement process similar to software licensing, but with computer and network hardware instead. Generally speaking, a managed service provider remotely monitors and administers hardware on a client's site on a subscription basis,” the company explained.

Regardless of the veracity of Enstep’s argument, as a publicity stunt, it worked. You’re reading this article aren’t you?