Richard Humphreys |
Microsoft has increased the number of companies that can sell its Surface Hub in the UK. It says that this is to meet huge demand for the device.
“Fifteen more firms have joined the Microsoft Surface Hub partner programme from today, giving customers more choice in where they buy the product and accessories from, as well as from whom they receive support,” said an official press release.
The Surface Hub, which is available with a 55-inch or 84-inch screen, is designed for collaboration, and enables multiple people to work on the device at the same time in a range of Windows 10 programs. The Surface Hub Pen lets users write directly onto the screen, while integration with Microsoft services such as Skype for Business means people can work together remotely and easily share what they do in services such as PowerPoint and OneNote.
The Surface Hub is currently being used by more than 2,000 customers in 24 markets across the world, up from 500 customers last July. These include the University of Bristol, which is using the device to further its biomedical and clinical sciences research by improving real-time collaboration, communication and the sharing of ideas, images and videos.
Outsourcing firm Capita, which has become one of the new official resellers of the device, said the Surface Hub can benefit any company.
“Our ambition at Capita is to bring users’ experience into the 21st century and embrace the developing role of multimedia technology to support and enable all employees,” said Paul Morris, managing director of Intelligent Buildings Practice at Capita. “We offer customised audio-visual systems that encompass and deliver seamless collaboration, maximise content delivery and increase productivity within any environment. Surface Hub is a key component of our offering to clients, and we are very proud to have been awarded ADR [Authorised Device Reseller] status.”
The 15 new partners all have extensive experience in working with audio, visual and communications solutions, but will also benefit from Microsoft support in sales and deployment of Surface Hub to customers.
eBECS, which sells Microsoft products to companies in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, services, not-for-profit and other related sectors, said the Surface Hub is “transformational”.
“The use of Surface Hub has transformed the way we collaborate with our colleagues across the UK, not only improving operational efficiency but also reducing the inevitable stress of travel time,” said Kevin Hall, managing director and owner. “I am so impressed with this technology that eBECS is formally embedding the use of Surface Hub into our implementation methodology for use with customer team members on their sites. The Surface Hub is technology that just works and everyone who experiences them, loves them.”