After cars, laptops and phones are moving to the operational leasing model: companies are gradually giving up purchases and choosing subscriptions out of the need for flexibility, predictability, and cashflow protection.

In recent years, Romanians have grown accustomed to paying for access, not for ownership. From music and films to software, the subscription model has become part of everyday life. The same model is beginning to make its way into the business environment and into the way companies use technology. Instead of large investments in equipment, more and more companies are looking for flexible, subscription-based solutions.

Founded in Romania in 2021, INKI.tech brings to the IT equipment space the model that has already transformed entire industries: access through subscription. Through its Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution, companies can use laptops, phones, and other devices together with management, support, and protection services included in a predictable monthly cost. Against the backdrop of growing demand for flexibility and cashflow optimization, such models are gaining ground in Europe, and INKI.tech currently serves over 700 client companies from all 27 member states of the European Union.

Today, almost every activity within a company depends on technology, and the laptop and phone are the main working tools. In this context, the challenge is no longer just choosing the right equipment, but also the way in which it is acquired, managed, secured, and updated, without unnecessarily blocking the company’s capital.

Perhaps the simplest comparison is with company cars. A few years ago, purchase was the rule. Today, leasing and usage-based models are common practice, because they allow companies to preserve their liquidity and avoid locking capital into assets that lose value. The same reasoning is beginning to be applied in the case of technology used by employees.

And just like with a car, the purchase price is only the beginning. Over time, costs arise with repairs, maintenance, management, and replacement of equipment, to which is added the time invested in managing them. When a laptop breaks down or can no longer keep up with current requirements, the impact is felt not only in the budget, but also in the productivity of the person using it.

“Many entrepreneurs start from the idea that it is better to own. It is a natural reaction and stems from the need for control. However, we see that more and more companies are beginning to analyze not just the acquisition cost, but also everything that happens afterward: management, repairs, replacement, and the time invested in managing the equipment,” says Liviu Huluță, CEO and co-founder of INKI.tech.

The change is fueled by two trends that are accelerating simultaneously: the growing pressure for efficiency and the rapid pace at which technology evolves. Organizations that preserve their flexibility and avoid locking capital into rapidly depreciating assets have more room for investment in business development, teams, and growth.

As AI-based applications increase processing, memory, and security requirements, equipment replacement cycles are becoming shorter. For companies, this means that the acquisition decision can no longer be viewed over a 4–5 year horizon, but must be adapted to a much faster technological pace.

According to data and observations from INKI.tech resulting from collaboration with companies in the process of growth, the Device-as-a-Service model is gaining ground as companies reassess the real cost of owning IT equipment. For example, an organization with 50 employees that purchases laptops worth 1,500 euros invests 75,000 euros from day one, without including management, maintenance, or replacement costs. Managing a portfolio of over 700 partners, INKI.tech confirms a paradigm shift: the preference for accessibility over asset ownership. The economic logic is clear: financial resources generate real value when directed towards human capital, sales strategies, and innovation, not by immobilizing them in IT equipment.

The change is part of a broader trend through which companies are gradually giving up large investments in rapidly depreciating assets and are orienting themselves towards usage-based models. After software, cloud, and other digital services, the technology used daily by employees is beginning to follow the same path.

INKI.tech estimates that this transition will accelerate in the coming years, against the backdrop of the increasingly widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, the pressure for operational efficiency, and the need of companies to protect their cash flow in a volatile economic environment.

If the last decade was about digitalization, the next one could be about efficiency. In an economy where the speed of adaptation becomes a competitive advantage, success will depend not only on the technology you use, but also on the way you choose to manage it.