Hardware as a Service (HaaS): Renting IT Equipment Instead of Buying

Every three to five years another batch of laptops needs replacing. Buying means one big invoice, plus sorting out what happens to the old devices yourself. Hardware as a Service (HaaS) promises a way out: you rent the equipment, including support and replacement, for a fixed monthly fee. In this article we compare HaaS, operational lease and buying side by side, covering rates, pitfalls and the tax angle.

What exactly is Hardware as a Service?

Hardware as a Service is a delivery model in which you take physical equipment on subscription rather than as a one-off purchase. The hardware remains the property of the supplier; you pay a monthly fee and use the equipment for as long as the contract runs. IBM describes it like this: hardware is offered on a subscription basis, with the supplier remaining responsible for maintenance, replacement and sometimes the software running on it.

A typical HaaS bundle has three components. The physical device, such as a laptop, printer or server. The accompanying software, such as a management agent or firmware. And the service itself: monitoring, incident handling, replacement when something breaks and, at the end of the contract, secure disposal or refurbishment. You will also often hear the term Device as a Service (DaaS). DaaS is the end-user version of HaaS, focused on laptops and tablets. HaaS is the broader umbrella and can also cover network equipment, servers or multifunction printers.

HaaS, operational lease and buying: what is the difference?

On paper, HaaS and operational lease look very similar. With both, you get equipment for a monthly fee and you are not the owner. Yet there is an important distinction. With operational lease you buy hardware plus a financing product. Maintenance can be added (full operational lease) or left out. With HaaS you buy a service in which the hardware is merely a means to an end, with monitoring, support and replacement included as standard. The supplier therefore has a vested interest in keeping your equipment running reliably.

Buying (or financial lease) is the traditional route. You pay for the investment in one go or through a loan, you become the owner and the device goes on your balance sheet. You can depreciate it for tax purposes and, for investments between €2,901 and €398,236, benefit from the Dutch small-scale investment allowance (Kleinschaligheidsinvesteringsaftrek, KIA). The downside: you handle maintenance and end-of-life replacement yourself, and the hit to your cash flow is bigger. If you want to weigh up the wider picture, our guide to cutting IT costs for SMEs gives a broader overview of ways to keep your hardware budget under control.

Why HaaS is gaining popularity

The DaaS market is growing fast. Precedence Research estimates the global market at $211.7 billion in 2025, with expected growth to $273.5 billion in 2026. Among Dutch SMEs, take-up is still a little slower: of businesses with 20 to 49 employees, 7 percent actively use DaaS and a further 17 percent plan to.

Three developments are accelerating that growth. The end of support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025 forces businesses with older hardware to choose: new equipment or Extended Security Updates until 12 October 2027. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 and an 8th-generation Intel processor or newer, which often rules out devices from before 2018. In addition, Gartner analysts point to cost optimisation and sustainability as drivers, and the IT skills shortage plays a role: teams no longer want to spend time on imaging and refurbishment.

What does HaaS cost in the Netherlands?

Prices vary by provider, contract term and scope. For a standard managed workstation (laptop, support and basic management), Dutch suppliers typically charge €25 to €50 per user per month. Systra ICT starts with a standard HaaS workstation built on an HP ProBook or Lenovo ThinkPad L at around €35 per month. More comprehensive packages with security, backup and hardware rotation come in at €50 to €100, and premium 24/7 options can rise to €150 per workstation per month.

For straightforward laptop rental without management, rates are lower. Coolblue Zakelijk, IRENT and Easy2Rent offer business laptops (HP ProBook, Lenovo ThinkBook or ThinkPad E series) on contracts of 6 to 36 months. MacBook leasing starts at around €27 per month excluding VAT with providers such as Amac Pro, from €29 with JUUZ, and from €49 with Swaptop, cancellable monthly after 3 months. Big names such as HP, Dell and Lenovo run their own programmes under names like HP DaaS, Dell APEX PC-as-a-Service and Lenovo TruScale, with contracts of 1 to 5 years.

When comparing with buying, also factor in what you no longer have to do yourself. Research by Intel and Dell shows that the purchase price of a PC is less than 20 percent of the total cost of ownership. The other 80 percent goes on support, maintenance and the user's time when something goes wrong.

What is usually included in a HaaS contract?

The contents vary by supplier, but a mature HaaS subscription typically includes:

• Hardware of your choice from a catalogue, for example different laptop tiers and accessories.
• Zero-touch onboarding via Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune: a new employee receives a sealed box and the device sets itself up at first sign-in.
• Support from a service desk, with response and resolution times per severity level set out in an SLA.
• Replacement when a device fails, often within an agreed timeframe.
• A refresh after 3 or 4 years, after which the old device is taken back for refurbishment or secure disposal.
• A corporate wipe when someone leaves, so departing employees' data is removed immediately.

In its EEN MKB Werkplek package, KPN provides a Microsoft 365-based online workplace in which incidents are resolved within 8 working hours. For printers and multifunction devices, Managed Print Services has long been the norm. Ricoh claims savings of up to 30 percent on printing costs with this model.

The tax and accounting side

For a Dutch SME owner, the tax decision is simpler than it looks. When you buy, you can depreciate the asset (for laptops usually over 5 years, a maximum of 20 percent per year) and, for investments above €2,900, benefit from the small-scale investment allowance (KIA). The same applies to financial lease, because you are the economic owner.

HaaS and operational lease work differently. You are not the owner, the device does not go on the balance sheet and the monthly payments are directly deductible business expenses. You are not entitled to investment allowance or interest deduction. For unlisted SMEs this is a choice, not a problem: IFRS 16, which puts all lease obligations on the balance sheet, only applies to listed companies in the Netherlands. For smaller businesses, rent simply remains rent.

So the real question is: would you rather invest once and build up tax benefits, or spread the cost and contract out the operational hassle? The answer differs from business to business.

When HaaS does and does not pay off

HaaS is attractive if your business is growing or shrinking, if your hardware needs replacing on a predictable cycle, and if you do not have your own IT team to handle imaging and logistics. Think of a 40-person advisory firm that onboards a new colleague every quarter, a consultancy that hires in a lot of contractors, or an SME that prefers cash flow over ownership. In a TEI study of an organisation with 30,000 employees, Forrester calculated an ROI of 89 percent and a reduction in device replacement time from 8 days to 2. For a smaller business the figures are different, but the logic is the same.

HaaS makes less sense if your hardware runs unchanged for years and someone in-house already handles management perfectly well. Among micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees, HaaS adoption is still low (around 0.3 percent actively use it). The benefit of bundling support and refresh often does not outweigh the extra cost there. And for highly specific or expensive specialist equipment that you want to use for 8 years or more, buying is almost always cheaper.

As for the contracts: check the cancellation terms for early return, what happens when a device fails (replacement within 4 hours or not until the next day?), and whether insurance is included or you need to arrange it yourself. These points tie in with the issues we also discuss in outsourcing workplace management, because in practice HaaS and managed workplace services often end up in the same contract.

Sustainability and the circular economy

A less discussed but powerful argument for HaaS is sustainability. According to the UN Global E-waste Monitor 2024, the world already produced 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022. Only 22.3 percent of that was formally collected and recycled. Europe does better (42.8 percent), and in the Netherlands Stichting OPEN collected as much as 255 million kilos of electronic waste in 2024.

Most of a laptop's environmental impact lies in its production: 75 to 85 percent of its total carbon footprint. Cranfield University calculated that a certified remanufactured laptop produces just 6.32 percent of the CO2 of a new one, a saving of around 316 kg of CO2 per device. HaaS suppliers work with fixed refresh cycles and take-back, so devices get a second life through refurbishment. The EU Right to Repair Directive (in force since 30 July 2024) strengthens that trend. Our own hardware approach is aligned with this too.

How do you choose a HaaS partner?

Key questions to ask when choosing:

1. Which SLA times apply per severity level, and is replacement only available during office hours?
2. Is the device delivered ready to go via Autopilot and Intune, or do you still have work to do yourself?
3. How does offboarding work: is data corporate-wiped and is the device processed responsibly?
4. Can you scale up and down during the contract, or are you tied to a fixed number of seats for the entire term?
5. Is equipment refurbished, and if so, by whom?

Choosing HaaS is usually part of a broader IT strategy. See also IT outsourcing: pros and cons.

Frequently asked questions about Hardware as a Service

What is the difference between HaaS and ordinary leasing?

Leasing is a form of financing: you get hardware plus a payment arrangement. HaaS is a service: hardware plus support, monitoring, replacement and refresh are included as standard. With a lease you buy equipment; with HaaS you buy peace of mind.

What does HaaS cost per workstation in the Netherlands?

Expect €25 to €50 per user per month for a standard managed workstation, €50 to €100 for more comprehensive packages with security and backup, and up to €150 for premium 24/7 options. Straightforward laptop rental without management starts lower, often from €27 to €35 per month.

Is HaaS less attractive for tax purposes than buying?

When you buy, you can depreciate the asset and benefit from the Dutch small-scale investment allowance (KIA) on investments above €2,900. With HaaS, the monthly costs are directly deductible business expenses, but you are not entitled to investment allowance. Which model works out better depends on your profit, cash flow needs and growth rate. Ask your accountant for a tailored calculation.

What happens at the end of a HaaS contract?

You usually have 3 options: renew on new hardware (the refresh), stop and return the equipment, or take over the device at its residual value. A good supplier refurbishes returned hardware for a second life and irreversibly wipes your company data before it is issued again.

Is HaaS also suitable for servers and network equipment?

Certainly. The logic is the same: hardware plus management plus replacement in a monthly subscription. For SMEs that no longer want to run an in-house data centre, it is a good stepping stone towards the cloud or a hybrid set-up.

Conclusion

Hardware as a Service shifts hardware spending from CAPEX to OPEX, takes replacement and support off your hands and suits businesses that want to grow without making large investments every time. The gain is usually not in the sticker price but in what you no longer have to do yourself: imaging, refresh, disposal and users' lost time when something breaks. Buying remains attractive for businesses of a stable size with equipment that runs unchanged for years.

Want to know whether HaaS works out better than buying for your organisation? TRON Group maps your current device fleet, refresh points and total costs, and calculates which approach is more cost-effective in your situation. Visit our hardware page or call +31 85 303 5869 for a no-obligation conversation. We work on circular principles and agree a clear SLA, so you know exactly what you are buying.