Workplace Technology & Core Infrastructure
A Refresh Cycle Built for Falling Prices Meets a Market of Rising Ones
Laptops, desktops, servers, storage and meeting-room systems are bought continuously across many sites, usually on a three to five year refresh cycle. That cycle assumed falling prices and rising specifications. In 2026 the pattern has been interrupted. Artificial intelligence (AI) data centres have absorbed memory chip supply, and Gartner expects PC prices to rise about 17% and smartphone prices 13% against 2025, with enterprise PC lifespans about 15% longer. Public sector buyers are responding through shared routes: a £1.5bn framework for NHS and wider public sector device buying includes a dedicated lot for refurbished and remanufactured devices. The figure is a framework estimate, not annual spend.
Third Party Maintenance: Revenue Outlook, Investment Potential and Commercial Due DiligenceRecurring Contracts, Service Margins and Investment Readiness
Third Party Maintenance: Market Size, Competitive Structure and GrowthFrom multi-vendor support to supplier consolidation, geographic demand and the economics shaping the third-party maintenance market
Third Party Maintenance: Market, Investment and Commercial StrategyMarket dynamics, investment opportunities and procurement decisions
Procuring IT TPM: Infrastructure Lifecycles, Commercial Value and Market AccessTotal cost of ownership, supplier performance and commercial oversight over IT estate in Public and Private sectors
Procuring and Managing Storage InfrastructureCommercial Oversight, Contract Management and Supplier Performance Management
The Economics of Hosting and Cloud MigrationTotal Cost of Ownership, Return on Investment and Assessing cost benefit of various options
Data Centre Estate: Retain, Replace or Relocate ?From Ageing Infrastructure to Modern Hosting: Market Forces, Strategic Choices and the Commercial Case for Change
Data Centre Colocation: Infrastructure Choices, Investment Economics and Commercial StrategyBalancing investment, cost, commercial value and long-term flexibility across the changing storage estateWhat our briefings cover
Endpoints and Mobile. Laptops, desktops, thin clients (small terminals that run centrally hosted software), tablets and smartphone fleets. Briefings weigh outright purchase against Device-as-a-Service (DaaS, hardware supplied on subscription) and the effect of mobile device management (MDM, remote security and configuration software) on whole-life cost.
On-Premises Compute and Storage. Servers, storage area networks (SAN), flash arrays and backup appliances, where chip generations and memory costs shape both price and lead time.
Workplace Collaboration and Print. Meeting-room systems, interactive displays, digital signage and Managed Print Services (MPS), as hybrid working changes how much equipment organisations need.
Lifecycle and Stewardship. Staging, imaging, warranty extension, third-party maintenance (TPM), secure IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) and compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations.
The commercial reality: where the cost is decided after the order
Longer device lifespans move value away from the purchase and toward what surrounds it: support terms, warranty options, refurbishment, redeployment and disposal. Agreements typically run three to five years, with indexation, minimum volumes and return conditions that matter more as prices become volatile. Imaging, support and logistics arrangements are costly to change midstream, so the same hardware can carry very different whole-life costs under different agreements.
Behind the price movements sit questions our briefings follow closely: how the manufacturer, distributor and reseller channel is adapting, what tariffs and component shortages mean for contract terms, and how waste and carbon rules shape disposal. Consolidation is visible in the services around devices too. In February 2026 Anglotech Group completed its acquisition of Fleet Managed Print Services, part of a buy-and-build strategy in managed print and document solutions, according to Anglotech Group. We look at what such combinations mean for contracted customers, how framework and consortium buying changes the options, and what the cost of change looks like when organisations adjust their refresh cycles.
Last updated by Ajay Channana for Ipso Facto on 16 October 2026