Why it matters
Why hardware support matters
Hardware is the layer everything else depends on — and it is the failure mode most businesses are least prepared for. A dead computer takes a user offline; a failed server can take the whole company offline. Unlike a software glitch, hardware doesn't fix itself overnight, and the cost isn't a support ticket — it is parts, labour, downtime and the scramble to find a replacement the same day.
The businesses that ride out a hardware failure without it becoming an event are the ones that planned for it. Cover moves that cost from an unpredictable, per-incident invoice into a fixed annual figure you budget for once, and it puts a response in place before the machine dies — so when something does fail, the fix is already moving rather than starting from a standing start.
That is the case for hardware support: not insurance against an unlikely event, but a practical arrangement that keeps your people working and your spend predictable across the working life of every device on your estate.
Continuity
Cover that keeps the business running
The point of hardware cover isn't repairing a broken machine — it's making sure the breakage never stops your business. Here's how that works in practice.
Servers first
A server OS failure can take an entire business offline in minutes. Hardware cover on critical equipment — especially servers — is what turns a multi-day outage into a contained incident with a fix already in motion.
- 4-hour fix target on critical equipment
- On-site diagnosis and OS image restore
- Documented recovery plan, drive re-imaged
Fast on-site repair or replacement
When a workstation or laptop fails, an engineer attends on site to repair it — and if a device is completely unrepairable, it is replaced, generally the same day. The user keeps working; the work doesn't stop.
Documented & predictable
Every device on your estate is recorded, with its spec, warranty status and cover level. No surprises, no guessing whether a machine is protected when it fails.
How cover works in practice
It starts with a phone call or a ticket, and we diagnose remotely first — a surprising number of "dead" machines turn out to be a failed update, a corrupt profile or a loose connection, and those are fixed in minutes without anyone leaving their desk. Only genuine hardware faults turn into an engineer visit.
Where a machine is still within its manufacturer's warranty, we manage that claim for you rather than leaving you to argue with a vendor's support portal. And because every covered device is already on your estate record, the engineer attending arrives knowing the machine's specification and history — the visit starts at the fix, not at the paperwork.
When we do repair, we use genuine or manufacturer-equivalent parts, and we make the repair-versus-replace call on engineering grounds: if a repair would cost more than the machine is worth, or leave you with something unreliable, we say so and replace it instead. The aim is always the same outcome — a dependable machine back in front of the user as quickly as possible.
Covered hardware vs. uncovered hardware
The same failure, two outcomes. Cover turns an open-ended emergency into a planned, fixed-cost recovery — especially on the equipment your business can't run without.
| Uncovered | Covered with YBS | |
|---|---|---|
| Dead computerA dead computer | User idle while a replacement is sourced.The user is idle while someone sources a replacement, transfers their profile and reinstalls applications. Productivity lost every hour it sits unresolved. | Same-day repair or fresh-image swap.An engineer attends on site the same day to repair the device, or replaces it outright if it is completely unrepairable — with a fresh Windows image, under parts-and-labour cover. |
| Failed serverA failed server | Outage halts the business, no plan.A server outage halts the whole business while someone hunts for parts and a recovery plan nobody documented. Days of downtime, data still at risk. | 4-hour fix, documented recovery, fast replacement.A 4-hour fix on critical hardware, a documented recovery plan with OS restores ready, and a dependable replacement sourced fast if the site is lost. |
| Ageing kitEnd-of-life estate | Machines fail without warning.Machines fail without warning, one by one, at the worst moments. Budgeting for replacements is reactive and disruptive. | Annual audit flags kit in advance.An annual health audit flags devices approaching end of life in advance, so replacements are planned, budgeted and rolled out on your terms. |
| CostCost | Unplanned invoice for every failure.Each failure is an unplanned invoice — labour, parts, call-out fees — with no ceiling on what a bad month can cost. | Fixed annual cost per device.A single, fixed annual cost per device. You know your hardware spend for the year ahead, and there are no per-incident charges to argue about. |
| ContinuityContinuity | Every failure is a fire drill.Hardware failure is the most common cause of unplanned downtime. Without cover, every failure is a fire drill. | A failure becomes an inconvenience.Covered hardware, fast on-site repair or replacement and documented recovery mean a failure is an inconvenience — not a business event. |
Supply
Hardware & software supply
We specify, source and build business-grade kit from premier manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Intel, APC, Zyxel and Synology — chosen for stability and long-term supportability, not headline price. Every workstation, laptop and server is sized against what your software actually needs, so you're never sold more machine than the work requires.
Each supplied PC or laptop arrives with a clean, licensed Windows installation — or, if you prefer, a fully imaged operating system with your business-critical applications, security tooling and printers already configured, ready to hand to the user straight out of the box. Licensing is sorted at the same time, so a new machine is ready to work from day one.
- Single servers to clusters, switching, UPS & rack builds
- Installed, documented and covered by your support contract
- Fresh or fully imaged Windows installations
- Licensing arranged alongside the hardware
Vendors we trust
Specified for stability and long-term supportability — not headline price.
Maintenance
What the cover includes — and what it doesn't
No grey areas. Hardware cover is deliberately specific about what sits inside the annual cost, so you never find out where the line is at the moment something breaks.
Covered
- Mechanical and electronic hardware failure
- Replacement parts and engineer labour
- On-site diagnosis and repair visits
- Drive replacement with OS reinstall and data recovery where possible
- Device replacement if a repair is uneconomical or the unit is unrepairable
Not covered
- Accidental, cosmetic or malicious damage
- Consumables — toners, cables
- Software faults (handled by your IT support contract)
- Devices not recorded on your estate
- Kit beyond economical repair due to age (planned replacement instead)
Anything outside cover is still something we can fix — it is simply quoted as a one-off job rather than drawn from the annual contract.
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