Buying hardware and licensing through distribution instead of retail

The same channels large enterprises buy through are open to a ten-person business. What changes on price, warranty and support, and where the savings come from.

2 min readUpdated Sep 2026

Buying laptops from a retailer means retail markup and a consumer warranty. Paying list price for Microsoft 365 means paying more than the partner rate for the same seats. The enterprise distribution channels that fix both, TD Synnex, Pax8 and Ingram Micro, are not closed to small businesses; they are closed to businesses buying without a partner account. That is what we hold.

Hardware

Laptops, desktops, servers, networking gear, monitors, peripherals and payment terminals at volume pricing, with extended business-grade warranties and on-site service that consumer purchases do not qualify for. Typical savings against retail are 15 to 30%, and bulk orders can be staged so delivery matches your rollout rather than arriving in one shipment.

Software and licensing

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace at partner rates, security software (endpoint protection, backup) through the same channel, and volume licensing for multi-seat deployments. Just as valuable: a license audit that finds the seats nobody uses, and renewal management so someone reviews the bill before it auto-renews at an inflated rate. Overlapping tools and unused licenses are where a technology budget review typically finds 15 to 30% in immediate savings.

Communications

Cloud VoIP business phone systems: your line on a desk phone, laptop or mobile, your existing numbers ported, auto-attendants, call queues and voicemail-to-email, with video and messaging in the same platform. Against a legacy phone system the saving is typically 50 to 70%.

Lifecycle, not just purchase

Every device tracked from purchase to retirement, warranty renewals flagged, hardware refresh planned rather than forced by a failure, standardized setup for new hires, and secure data destruction when a device is decommissioned.

How it works

You tell us what you need. We source the right equipment at the right price, you approve, and it arrives configured. Quotes typically turn around in 24 hours, there is no minimum order, and because our incentives sit on your side of the table, the recommendation is not tied to a preferred vendor list.

Categories and partners are on Vendor and partner solutions and Procurement.

Want this applied to your numbers?

  • $6,200 avg. annual savings
  • 15 min to complete review
  • 0 commitment required