Laptop subscription services exist, but this M’sian company added on software and IT support

[This is a sponsored article with Acestar.]

By now, most would have seen the impact that the pandemic has had on businesses nationwide. For starters, around 70% of small medium enterprises (SMEs) experienced a 50% drop in business during the first lockdown. 

Natalie Sit, the CEO of Acestar and an entrepreneur with 22 years of experience in the IT industry saw that businesses are struggling financially. One area she thought to target to help reduce upfront costs? IT procurement.

With irregular and unpredictable lockdowns leading to an uncertain cash flow, companies still had to invest in pricey IT equipment such as laptops and software for their staff, especially with remote working on the rise. 

The costs of equipping an employee with a capable laptop and software could reach up to RM5,000 per unit. If they were hiring multiple staff at a time, or if there was a need to refresh all the company laptops for an entire team or division, the company would be looking at five-figure payments or more.

Thus, the Acestar team came up with TechCare to provide companies with a more flexible package by turning their capital expenditure (CapEx) into operational expenditure (OpEx).

Keeping the customer’s needs in mind

Since Acestar’s inception in 2008, the company has always strived to be the leading local IT provider.

Alongside Natalie is Jason Chin, Acestar’s Director, who also played a crucial role in Acestar’s transformation over the years to the company it is today.

Under his belt, he has over 20 years of experience in Network and Server Infrastructure, along with credentials such as a Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MSCE), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and more.

As Acestar’s Director, he needed to have a deep understanding of the current tech landscape. Thus, he was able to shift the traditionally expensive IT procurement method into one that is more affordable. He has also lived under Acestar’s motto to put customers first in whatever they do.

The direct result of this customer-centred commitment has led to the company’s crowning achievement of being Malaysia’s only Adobe Platinum Partner. To be classified as a Platinum Partner, the company will need to have an experienced team handling Adobe solutions, while offering top-notch support to their customers.

Acestar is also a partner for brands such as HP (Hewlett Packard) and Microsoft. They can leverage their collaborations to provide competitive pricing for their solutions to the users.

Equipping employees with the right tools for increased productivity

In essence, TechCare’s solution is similar to subscription services that you may be familiar with. But instead of just a laptop or IT services, you’ll be getting both starting from RM235 a month.

Note: The RM235 package requires a minimum of 5 users on a 36-month contract. The package price is also affected by the laptop and the software you choose. 

TechCare also comes with a free 3-month Salesfeed subscription,(worth RM1.2k) a lead generation tool with predictive analysis for businesses. It can help you create multiple landing pages with ready-made templates for Facebook Ads, Google Ads and others.

Aside from the laptop and software, you will also be getting IT support from Acestar as well. They have a dedicated team to help you troubleshoot when problems arise, so you will not have to hire an additional IT staff to help your team navigate through computer issues.

Under TechCare, you can get laptops such as the HP Firefly G8 and software such as Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials, Faronics Antivirus Cloud Subscription, and more. 

The effectiveness of TechCare’s service has had proven results too. Brian Law, the Managing Partner of LAW Partnership (a multi-disciplinary law firm) shared that it helped them improve company productivity by 15% and reduce their costs of hiring in-house IT personnel. It was how they powered through the first MCO.

Basically, TechCare can be an end-to-end service for their customer’s IT equipment needs, with Acestar acting as the consolidated point of contact. Companies can also move some of their costs of onboarding new employees to an operational charge that can be paid in fixed monthly instalments instead.

• For more info on what TechCare offers, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Dyla Fadhilah, Sales Consultant for Acestar; Benjamin Yeoh, Senior Manager, Business Development for Acestar and Jason Chin, the Director of Acestar / Acestar