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Future Publishing Limited (referred to as Future) is a world-leading magazine publisher based in the UK, which connects over 400 million people to their passions through specialist content. Whether you’re a woman of “power, purpose and style” reading Marie Claire, looking to make well-informed decisions on Go.Compare or in the market for the best consumer tech according to techradar, Future offers access to some of the most well-loved magazines around the world.

Results

boxxe delivered a total device refresh to over 1200 PC users in FY25 and FY26 via a zero-touch approach. This involved device configuration, enrolment, asset tagging, provision and delivery, as well as the collection of the old devices for recycling. All whilst successfully meeting Future’s cost requirement. 

1200+
PC User Devices

to be refreshed over FY25 and FY26

Lenovo
ThinkPad T14s Laptop

tested and selected as Future’s new device model ‘standard’

Zero-touch
Lifecycle management

to take the pressure off Future’s own IT resources

Challenge

A large number of Future’s 1600 PC users were scheduled for a device refresh, as part of the company’s 4-year Lifecycle process. With their current device model deemed inadequate, Future wanted to identify a new model which would meet end-user workload requirements without straining the resources of the internal IT team — having been significantly impacted in previous refresh programs. It was crucial for Future to bring in the external resources of a trusted partner to provide these services with a ‘zero-touch’ approach.

Plan

The first objective was to identify a reseller capable of providing the necessary resources for Future. One that had strong relationships with the right vendor partners required to establish a new device model ‘standard’.

Following several discussions and a detailed presentation of how boxxe would deliver and support the services Future needed, we were selected to implement our Lifecycle Management solution. 

Approach

Our first step was to confirm Future’s current setup, end-user workloads, applications, future device configuration and support requirements. This included assessing the backend services and target costs. Once completed, we finalised two leading vendor partners and began organising the procurement of device test units.

Outcome

After receiving the device test units, the Future team subjected each one to rigorous real-time field testing. Ultimately the team determined that the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s laptop best met their end-user requirements, and it was selected as Future Publishing’s new device standard for the FY24/25 Lifecycle refresh.

With the Lenovo devices promptly ordered and delivered within weeks, we applied the necessary backend services, assisted with the ITSM Automation setup, and facilitated the raising of tickets for the end-user device delivery to begin — using that all important zero-touch approach to relieve pressure on Future’s own precious IT resources. 

Previous device refresh programs at Future have required a large amount of IT resources to manage the communications, shipping of the new devices and collection of the old devices. This was made even more complicated by endusers returning devices to any of our UK offices, causing confusion and delays in devices being marked as returned.

By leveraging boxxe’s lifecycle management services, we’ve been able to completely automate the process, resulting in a near zero-touch process that allows us to scale refresh phases into the hundreds with nominal impact on Future IT resources.

Nathan James
Director of IT Services (Globally)
Future Publishing Limited