Renewing your IT fleet: buy, lease or subscribe?

Renewing an IT fleet is not just choosing between two laptop models. The short answer: start from the inventory, deal first with devices that no longer receive security updates, choose the financing model that fits your cash flow (buy, lease or subscription), require devices prepared before delivery, track warranties and organise the take-back of old hardware with data wiping.

Here is the method we apply with the businesses we support in Morocco, and the questions to ask your IT hardware supplier before you sign.

Why it is urgent: the end of Windows 10

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Since then, those devices receive no security fixes, no updates and no assistance. They keep working, but every newly discovered vulnerability stays open. For an attacker, an unpatched workstation is the easiest way in, especially when it opens the company’s email and shared files.

Three situations arise:

• The device is Windows 11 compatible: Microsoft requires, among other things, a TPM 2.0 module, UEFI firmware capable of Secure Boot and a supported 64-bit processor. Upgrading is then the most economical option.
• The device is not compatible: it must be replaced. This is often the trigger for a wider renewal.
• Replacement cannot happen right away: Microsoft offers organisations a paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme, purchased by year, for a maximum of three years after end of support and only on Windows 10 version 22H2. It is a stopgap, not a strategy: ESU brings no new features and no technical support.

Step 1: take inventory before ordering

You can only renew well what you know. For each device, we record:

• model, serial number and purchase date;
• operating system version and Windows 11 compatibility;
• manufacturer warranty end date;
• the user, their role and the applications they use;
• actual condition: battery, screen, drive, reported slowness.

This inventory often reveals surprises: devices with no user, personal laptops accessing company data, machines older than expected. It is also part of our initial IT audit.

Step 2: define profiles rather than models

Instead of choosing a model per person, we define three or four profiles: office desktop, mobile laptop, graphics or technical workstation, shared reception or workshop device. Each profile has its reference configuration, accessories (docking station, monitor, headset) and warranty level.

The benefits are immediate: fewer references to track, interchangeable spare parts, identical preparation and a more predictable budget. We supply the major business brands, favouring their professional ranges, which are better supported for parts and drivers than consumer ranges.

Step 3: choose between buying, leasing and subscription

This is the question most business owners ask. There is no universal right answer: it depends on your cash flow, your tax situation and the service level you expect.

Criterion	Purchase	Financial lease	Subscription with services
Ownership	Yes, immediately	No, unless a purchase option is exercised at the end	No
Cash-flow impact	Expense concentrated upfront	Regular rents	Regular monthly fee
Renewal	To plan and budget yourself	Planned at contract end	Planned in the contract
Preparation, support, replacement	Added separately	Added separately	Usually included
Flexibility when hiring	Buy as you go	Contract amendment	Add devices to the contract
Best fit	Stable fleet, available cash	Large fleet, regular renewal	Business wanting a predictable cost per user

The accounting and tax treatment (capitalisation, depreciation, lease expense) differs for each option: have it validated by your chartered accountant before choosing. For a lease or subscription, read carefully the term, early-exit conditions, required return condition and what happens in case of theft or damage.

Step 4: require ready-to-use devices

A PC delivered “bare” costs time: installing applications, joining the domain or Microsoft 365, printers, encryption, data transfer. Multiplied by the number of devices, that means whole days of downtime.

There are two approaches:

• The master image: a reference device is prepared and then copied to each machine. Effective, but the image must be kept up to date for each model.
• Modern deployment with Intune and Windows Autopilot: the device is registered with Microsoft, then configures itself when the user signs in with their work account. It joins Microsoft Entra ID, enrols in Intune, receives security policies and applications. These features are included notably in Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

Either way, the delivered device must be encrypted, up to date, protected by the company’s antivirus or EDR and enrolled in the monitoring tool. Data from the old device moves to the cloud or the file server, not to a USB stick.

Step 5: track warranties and renewal dates

Hardware under warranty is only useful if someone knows it is. We register each device with the manufacturer, record the warranty end date in the inventory and open repair cases on the client’s behalf. For critical devices, an on-site warranty with manufacturer intervention avoids leaving a colleague without a tool during shipping.

The same rules apply to licences: Microsoft 365, antivirus, business software. A forgotten renewal date is discovered the day the service stops.

Step 6: organise take-back and recycling

Old hardware contains data: cached emails, documents, passwords saved in the browser. Before any take-back, resale, donation or recycling:

1. Back up what needs to be kept and check that the user has found everything on the new device.
2. Remove the device from management tools (Intune, antivirus, monitoring) and from Microsoft or Google accounts.
3. Wipe the drives with a recognised method, or physically destroy them for the most sensitive data.
4. Obtain a certificate of wiping or destruction per serial number.
5. Update the inventory and hand the hardware to a take-back or recycling channel.

Personal data of your customers and employees remains subject to Morocco’s law 09-08 until it is erased: a drive resold without wiping is a data leak.

Common mistakes

• Buying the cheapest without checking the range, the warranty or compatibility with your applications.
• Renewing everything at once, then having to replace everything at the same time a few years later. Renewing in waves smooths the workload and the budget.
• Forgetting accessories: docking stations, monitors, cables and headsets often delay go-live.
• Leaving Windows 10 devices in place “for now”, with no plan and no date.
• Returning or reselling without certified wiping.
• Not reading a lease’s end-of-contract terms: required condition, refurbishment fees, return deadline.

Checklist before launching the renewal

• Full inventory with serial numbers, purchase dates and warranty end dates.
• List of devices still on Windows 10 and their Windows 11 compatibility.
• Device profiles defined with their reference configuration.
• Financing model chosen and validated by the chartered accountant.
• Preparation method selected: master image or Intune and Autopilot.
• Data transfer plan for each user.
• Wiping procedure and certificate planned for old hardware.
• Rollout schedule in waves, outside peak business periods.

How we do it

We start from your fleet inventory, which we carry out if needed during the free initial audit. We define device profiles with you, compare purchase, lease and subscription, then issue a quote with confirmed lead times and warranties. Devices are prepared before delivery, encrypted, enrolled in Intune and in our 24/7 monitoring, then installed on site in waves. We then manage warranties, licence renewals and the take-back of old hardware with certified wiping.

All of this is part of our IT hardware and licensing offer, which fits naturally into a managed IT services contract. On the software side, we are a Microsoft partner. To put your overall IT budget in context, read our article on managed IT pricing in Morocco, and discover our case studies.

Still running Windows 10 or an ageing fleet? Request your free initial audit: we reply within 24 business hours.