Contents
Introduction
This Technical Validation from TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group examines HP Premium+ Support (formerly Active Care) predictive PC service and support for in-office, remote, and mobile workers with a focus on how Premium+ Support’s telemetry-based predictive services can help organizations prevent outage issues for users. In addition to Premium+ Support, we also looked at how HP Smart Device Services (SDS) can extend the same benefits to organizations’ print ecosystems.
Background
According to Enterprise Strategy Group research, the top business priorities or initiatives driving or influencing organizations’ endpoint device strategies span multiple practices and disciplines, including improving employee productivity (55%), fortifying cybersecurity (44%), improving the employee experience (44%), and supporting hybrid/remote work (41%), as seen in Figure 1.1
When you consider that 39% of organizations have extended their refresh cycles beyond the traditional three years, it should come as no surprise that nearly one in three organizations (29%) consider the operational cost of the IT staff required to support end users and client access devices to be a current operational and business challenge. As devices age, the likelihood of component failure rises.
Organizations need a solution that can minimize downtime in a blended work environment and help them to identify, prevent, and resolve endpoint computing device issues anywhere.
HP Premium+ Support for PCs
HP Premium+ Support is a PC service and support offering for office and mobile workers. HP Premium+ Support is designed to increase uptime and provide fast resolution support on HP devices with predictive device health analytics, next-business-day response, remote technical support, and onsite remediation services. It may be purchased transactionally attached to a PC purchase or contractually as part of a Managed Device Service (MDS) agreement.
HP Premium+ Support predictive analytics accelerate problem diagnosis and remediation on HP devices, often before the device issue impacts users' productivity. Automated case generation minimizes disruption by prompting end users to open a case as soon as an issue is detected, before the device goes down, enabling end users to schedule repairs at their convenience.
Predictive, proactive analytics give IT visibility into the condition of every HP device in the fleet and can quickly identify issues when and where they occur, order replacement parts, and install them as needed. HP Premium+ Support is only available for HP devices and offers three-, four-, or five-year plans, 24/7 remote support, and onsite service when issues can’t be resolved remotely.
HP Premium+ Support monitoring detects possible health issues for storage devices and batteries. When these reach a level that could cause a failure, an incident is logged and sent to the end user or the dashboard. These incidents can be used to create cases for HP repair of the component with no additional diagnostics.
Additional telemetry can generate incidents for BIOS out of date and system thermal conditions. These incidents can be used to send alerts to the end user of the device with instructions such as how to update their BIOS or clean the fan intake to improve air circulation and reduce heat stress. The customer’s IT administrator can customize the instructions.
Because HP Premium+ Support is a break/fix service that extends the support coverage beyond the standard manufacturer warranty, the IT administrator can create a case from the dashboard at any time for hardware issues such as with the motherboard or power. The admin just clicks the Create Case button on the incident page and completes the form. A case will be created, and HP will service the PC.
HP Smart Device Services for Printers
HP Smart Device Services (SDS) for printers are designed to maximize uptime and provide excellent service experiences. Cloud-based service management combines smart integration of advanced service capabilities with the managed print services (MPS) solutions HP and resellers use today.
Predictive AI keeps customers working by anticipating failures before they become problems. Remote remediation minimizes customer downtime with tools to diagnose and fix issues remotely. On behalf of end users, service providers can leverage SDS to adjust configurations, upgrade firmware, and reboot devices without an onsite visit. Detailed diagnostic and service information ensures that customers get the right fix the first time. SDS identifies the correct parts and exact procedures needed before a technician is dispatched for a service call.
SDS-connected printers can now contact the service provider for needed assistance when issues arise, reducing the need for customer calls or intervention. With SDS artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities and predictive analytics, the SDS system can monitor device health, predict certain failures, and proactively provide service recommendations to help minimize device downtime and lost productivity.
SDS advanced diagnostics capabilities provide detailed device service information and issue remediation steps to ensure service providers’ help desks and service technicians have the information they need to quickly solve problems for the customer the first time without additional onsite visits.
SDS is designed to provide improved service experiences by enabling remote management capabilities to solve issues such as firmware updates, configuration adjustments, and printer reboots remotely to help minimize onsite service visits and unnecessary device downtime. SDS fleet management capabilities also give MPS providers the ability to set and remediate essential security policy settings for their customers through their MPS software solution.
Enterprise Strategy Group Technical Validation
Enterprise Strategy Group evaluated HP’s telemetry-based proactive and predictive services, which help organizations update systems and address issues before they affect productivity.
First, we examined the customer’s view of Premium+ Support. We logged into a customer account, which shows only the devices and incidents that belong to this specific customer, seen in Figure 3. The dashboard allows a customer to manage the support for their own devices. We also reviewed the scenario when proactive pop-up alerts notify end users of device issues, rather than IT administrators monitoring the dashboard. This is covered later in this technical validation.
Next, we looked at how a customer would monitor and manage their devices. Once the HP Insights agent for Windows is running on their devices, HP Premium+ Support begins collecting data. Clicking on Devices shows a view of all devices this customer is monitoring. Administrators can select a specific device to see detailed information on any issues involving that device.
Next, we looked at the incidents feature of HP Premium+ Support. HP Premium+ Support reports on component attributes or characteristics that meet certain thresholds. If thresholds are met, an incident is generated and, if configured, a pop-up message is generated on the end-user device with a description of the incident and instructions on how to proceed. IT support can also use this data to open a case with HP support with a click.
Finally, we looked at how an HP partner would use the dashboard to support their customers. Partners use the dashboard to invite their customers using the customer ID, and customers need to approve the invitation to get connected.
Why This Matters
Improving employee productivity is paramount whether they’re working in offices or elsewhere. Organizations’ endpoint device strategies include improving employee productivity (55%), fortifying cybersecurity (44%), improving the employee experience (44%), and supporting hybrid/remote work (41%).
Enterprise Strategy Group validated that HP Premium+ Support saves organizations significant time and effort in support of end-user devices. AI-powered insights, proactive pop-up alerts, and automated ticketing streamline support actions and speed response. When an HP technician needs to provide in-person support, the AI-powered insights inform the technician as to what part needs to be replaced so they are dispatched with the right supplies on the first attempt.
HP Smart Device Services for Printers
Enterprise Strategy Group looked at HP SDS for printers, a cloud-based service management system that uses predictive AI and remote remediation to provide detailed diagnostic service information. HP SDS has been in operation since 2017, and HP has a large base of connected printers, with two million active devices under management.
HP SDS is focused on improving printer uptime as well as service experiences for end users.
Devices connect to the HP cloud where HP collects the telemetry and feeds it into its machine learning (ML) and AI system to identify device health issues and predict failures. Insights from this data are output into software solutions that HP and service providers use.
This enables organizations to act quickly and effectively, through both remote remediation and by deploying a service technician to replace a part or perform a preventive repair.
HP has amassed a large ML base and telemetry base of both current and select legacy connected printers for certain use cases.
HP SDS for printers provides a spectrum of insights across the entire incident lifecycle, from traditional descriptive and diagnostic analytics—“What happened and why did it happen?”—to more valuable predictive and prescriptive insights like “What will happen in the near future and what should I do about it?”
It’s important to note that HP SDS does not access or track individual users. SDS only tracks device ID and telemetry data. Customer names, user data, and job content are not collected to protect personal identifiable information or other confidentiality issues.
Why This Matters
In Enterprise Strategy Group’s 2024 Endpoint Device Trends survey, the operational cost of IT staff is the most common business challenge with respect to endpoints reported. Considering the importance of improving employee productivity as the top business priority and reliability and serviceability in the top five purchase criteria, a solution that can anticipate failures and offer remote remediation with tools to diagnose and fix issues remotely feels like a great fit. HP SDS for printers is designed to enhance device operational time with cloud-based ML and proactive notifications to remotely diagnose problems and provide effective resolution actions that help reduce service visits.
Conclusion
Employee productivity is important, but so is the employee experience. According to Enterprise Strategy Group research, 44% of organizations cited employee experience as a top business priority. The relationship between an employee’s experience and their productivity shouldn’t be ignored.
HP Premium+ Support can have a significantly positive impact on employee productivity and employee experience. Predictive analytics accelerates problem diagnosis and remediation on HP devices, often before the device issue affects users' productivity. Automated case generation streamlines support and minimizes disruption by facilitating the right remediation—whether parts or service technician dispatch—before the device goes down.
- HP Premium+ Support provides predictive, proactive analytics that give IT administrators insight into the condition of every HP device in the fleet and can quickly identify and resolve issues, often before failures occur.
- HP SDS uses predictive AI and remote remediation to provide detailed diagnostic service information for printers and enables partners to service their customers faster, more efficiently, and more effectively.
Enterprise Strategy Group validated that HP Premium+ Support saves organizations significant time and effort in support of end-user devices. AI-powered insights, proactive pop-up alerts, and automated ticketing streamline support actions and speed response. When an HP technician needs to provide in-person support, the AI-powered insights inform the technician as to what part needs to be replaced so they are dispatched with the right supplies on the first attempt.
If your organization needs to minimize downtime in a blended work environment by identifying, preventing, and resolving endpoint computing and printing device issues everywhere, Enterprise Strategy Group recommends that you take a close look at HP Premium+ Support for PCs and HP Smart Device Services for printers.
1. Source: Enterprise Strategy Group Research Report, Endpoint Device Trends, February 2024. All research in this Technical Validation comes from this research report unless otherwise noted.
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