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Most companies turn to Value Added Reseller (VAR) partners for one reason: simplified hardware procurement. VARs bundle devices, offer a single point of purchase, and sometimes handle basic support.
But today, where 59% of employees work from home three or more days a week, getting a laptop delivered is just the beginning. What VARs won’t tell you is that after the box lands, the hardest work begins: shipping across borders, retrieving equipment, handling customs, and closing the loop between HR, IT, and Finance.
That’s the costly, manual gap most teams only notice when things go off the rails.
In this blog, we’ll address those hidden gaps and introduce platforms that close them with full lifecycle automation.
For growing teams of 50 or global teams of 5,000, one platform equips everyone with laptops, monitors, keyboards, and more, anywhere in the world.
Take a self-guided tour to see how unified lifecycle automation works at scale.
VARs have long been the default procurement layer for IT. They source hardware from OEMs like Dell or Lenovo, preconfigure it, and ship it to the customer. For many IT teams, that’s a welcome shortcut: fewer vendors, easier billing, and faster purchasing cycles.
VARs were built for an office-centric world where equipment stayed in one place. But in a remote, scattered workplace norm, especially with multi-location companies, that leaves a vacuum.
Once a purchase order closes, the real costs begin.
In other words, VARs solve the buying challenge but not the operational one. They deliver the device. What happens after still lands on your IT, HR, and Finance teams.
As the post-purchase gap widens, remote-first teams are turning to full-lifecycle systems that integrate shipping, retrieval, and per-seat accountability into one stack. Below, we compare these platforms one by one.
Firstbase is an operations-automation platform that manages the full device lifecycle, not just procurement. It brings together global logistics, SaaS automation, and compliance into one connected system. Companies use it to ship, retrieve, and refresh IT assets across 150+ countries without manual coordination. The platform integrates with over 100 tools, linking HR, IT, and Finance, so every team works from one source of truth.
For organizations operating globally, Firstbase replaces the patchwork of VARs, warehouses, and spreadsheets with one platform built to control every mile after delivery.
Teams using Firstbase describe it as a positive shift from their earlier procurement systems.
Across all roles, users report measurable relief from manual work, fewer retrieval losses, and the ability to scale headcount without scaling IT overhead. Use the ROI Calculator now to see how many hours, dollars, and labor you save with Firstbase.
CDW is a multi-brand IT reseller operating across the U.S., U.K., and Canada. It combines procurement, asset management, and IT services through one vendor network.
The company supports government, healthcare, education, and enterprise clients with project-based ITAM programs and integrated eProcurement tools.
CDW’s strength is in pairing OEM relationships with global logistics and ERP integrations that help buyers manage complex technology estates from a single platform. It reduces procurement challenges and improves visibility across distributed teams.
Long-time customers recognize CDW’s legacy strength but feel service responsiveness has declined as operations scaled. They often report inconsistent delivery visibility.
Many note that tracking updates can lag or show inaccurate stock data, leading to repeated follow-ups. Delays in license fulfillment and unresponsive account communication have caused frustration, especially for smaller orders.
SHI International is a global value-added reseller and solutions integrator serving customers worldwide. It supports large enterprises with modular or end-to-end programs covering procurement, deployment, maintenance, and asset recovery.
The platform operates certified integration centers across North America, Europe, and Asia to configure and ship hardware pre-deployment. Its Zero Touch X remote configuration enables fast, over-the-air setup for distributed teams. The company also provides financial flexibility through leasing, hybrid capex-opex models, and global compliance management.
Buyers value SHI’s enterprise-grade scale and structured onboarding, but point to inefficiencies once projects are live. Many experience long lead times for hardware that smaller vendors can deliver faster.
Others mention recurring issues with imaging accuracy and post-sales coordination. Billing and license renewals are often described as tedious and error-prone.
Insight Enterprises delivers device lifecycle and IT infrastructure services under its Flex for Devices model. The program combines procurement, management, and recovery into a single subscription that simplifies ownership costs.
Companies can lease or manage fleets from multiple OEMs through a predictable monthly payment. Insight’s integration centers across key regions provide preconfigured deployment and global logistics.
It also extends support into managed services, asset monitoring, and sustainable end-of-life recovery for enterprise-scale technology operations.
Buyers often praise Insight’s flexible payment options and broad product availability. However, they also report weak customer support after purchase. Several mentioned having to follow up repeatedly for updates or returns, describing the process as slow and inconsistent. Some noted issues with return approvals and verification delays that caused project setbacks.
Ingram Micro Lifecycle is a sustainability-driven division supporting enterprises, OEMs, and retailers across 57 countries. It helps organizations reduce e-waste and recover technology value through compliant, secure end-of-life programs.
The business focuses on circular-economy outcomes (not resale volume) and combines environmental responsibility with strong data protection standards.
Its accredited facilities handle returns, repairs, and remarketing while ensuring full traceability. Every process meets global data laws, including GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and HIPAA.
Users consistently praise Ingram Micro’s reliability in terms of order accuracy and logistics. They find the company’s supply-chain execution consistent and dependable.
However, some express frustration with the high free-shipping threshold, calling it restrictive for smaller purchases. Others mention slow responses from customer service teams, particularly on order updates.
Zones LLC is an IT solutions provider specializing in lifecycle management, asset optimization, and digital transformation services. Its certified teams deliver R2v3, ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001-compliant operations that merge sustainability with quality assurance.
The company’s ITAM and ITAD offerings provide complete control over hardware, software, and cloud environments. Through automation, analytics, and secure asset recovery, Zones helps enterprises reduce technical debt, improve compliance, and advance environmental and operational goals simultaneously.
Customers appreciate Zones’ breadth of services and detailed asset intelligence. Many mention that the platform delivers clear visibility across their IT landscape.
However, some find the volume of promotional outreach excessive, describing frequent marketing emails as distracting. Others note that while the tools are powerful, implementation takes coordination across departments.
By now, you would have learnt that not all top VAR companies handle the full lifecycle. An ops-automation platform like Firstbase connects every function that VARs leave disconnected (IT, HR, Finance, and Compliance) into one lifecycle system.
For IT:
IT teams use Firstbase to automate every step, from order to retrieval. This cut device management hours by up to 75% at New Relic, where one specialist now oversees nearly 4,000 devices worldwide.
“The barrier to entry in new regions as we continue to grow and scale is much lower with Firstbase by our side than if it were us having to go alone.”
— Thomas Olson, New Relic
Similarly, when Cresta.ai switched to Firstbase, IT saved over 250 hours in a single year and doubled global headcount, without growing the IT team.
For HR:
Firstbase makes day-one readiness standard. No more chasing devices or scrambling before new hires join. The platform automates provisioning from HR systems like Workday and BambooHR, cutting manual coordination to zero.
Docebo unified its global HR-IT workflows across five regions. New hire deliveries became fully automated through Okta integration, and onboarding time dropped from weeks to days.
“We're getting alerts when any notable HR lifecycle moments are happening. This ensures we don't miss anything and everything is properly tracked.”
— Shane Stephens, IT Service Team Lead at Docebo
For Finance:
With just VAR, unreturned laptops, and freight markups, your margins will go down. Firstbase brings cost clarity with centralized tracking and per-seat pricing. Earnest Analytics runs global operations with only two IT staff.
The platform handles customs, VAT, and shipping, so Finance can forecast spend per seat. Onboarding satisfaction hit 98%, with no hidden fees or last-minute charges.
“Firstbase addresses the needs of a global company in an efficient manner. The procurement team at Firstbase is able to purchase assets at highly competitive rates. As a result, this reduces internal overhead on our part.”
— Francis Calata, VP of Corporate IT
For Compliance:
Data risks drop when returns are automatic. Firstbase tracks the chain of custody and wipes every device. Retrieval rates reach 97%, far above the industry average of 50-60%. Morgan Stanley once paid $35 million in penalties for poor device recovery; Firstbase helps companies avoid that risk.
“We benefit from most of the functions that Firstbase provides us because it ultimately means that I don’t have to manually interact with our VAR anymore. I don’t have to… open up, clean the computers, and then reset the devices. These were all the features we were looking for in a tool, and Firstbase provides that to us.”
– Senior Systems Engineer from an enterprise consulting firm
With the right ops layer, every function stays connected.
Before selecting a technology reseller or lifecycle operations provider, evaluate beyond procurement. The following checklist will help you do that.
Most VARs stop at “delivered.” What happens next determines how much time, money, and control your team keeps.
We’ve seen how the biggest names handle procurement well, but struggle with lifecycle gaps: retrieval, redeployment, and data security. That’s when a modern ops-automation layer proves helpful.
Firstbase delivers that layer. It ships, retrieves, and reconciles devices across 150+ countries through integrations that link directly to your HRIS and ITSM tools. It replaces manual work, tracking chaos, and guesswork in spend control.
Customers using the platform report 1.6× better recovery and 1.8× stronger visibility across their global device fleet. Book a demo to see it in action across your teams.
