NHS Supply Chain boosts productivity with Microsoft Surface devices

Making the right choice

NHS Supply Chain moved its entire estate to Microsoft Surface devices when a device refresh became necessary in 2020, but Chris Gundel recalls how the switch nearly didn’t happen. 

“We began the process comparing three devices from three leading manufacturers. Our decision to bring in Microsoft only came after I visited the Microsoft store in London,” he explains. “When I saw the range, I realised we were missing a trick. With the Microsoft Surface in my hand, I knew it is a really great product.”  

At his request, Microsoft shared a number of devices with NHS Supply Chain for review. Chris Gundel saw that the Surface Laptop and the Surface Pro would be ideal to meet their requirements and expanded the field under consideration to four device manufacturers.
 

A user-driven decision

The four devices were compared technically, aesthetically and in terms of user acceptance.
 

“When we put the four devices in front of users, nineteen of our group of twenty stakeholder colleagues said they preferred the Microsoft Surface,” remembers Chris Gundel. “It surprised me how easy it was to make the decision. But choosing Surface was an absolute no-brainer.”  

“When the users realised that they could use touch with the Surface screens, that was a ‘wow’ moment. We have a lot of contracts and scrolling through those with a finger makes work easier,” adds Chris Gundel. “The aesthetics of the Surface devices, with the high-quality flat screen was another big plus. It fits into a bag nicely. It’s got a solid look and feel. It feels like a really good quality machine. There was a quantum difference between the other machines and the Surface.”
 

Going for longevity when replacing an aging estate

The goal of the refresh was to avoid the performance and security risks inherently associated with sweating assets, since the existing devices were coming to end of life.  
 

Chris Gundel explains, “The devices we had were three years old and people wanted newer and faster. We were getting a lot of complaints about performance. I think probably the spec we had for those devices wasn’t good enough in the first place – and that’s something I wanted to avoid this time around.” 
 

NHS Supply Chain worked closely with Microsoft to define an appropriate specification for the new devices. “I purposefully went high,” explains Chris Gundel, “because we process a lot of information. The laptops in our organisation probably do more than a typical end user would. We process big spreadsheets and a lot of information, so we needed a device with a lot of oomph behind it.”

Users love the performance of the Microsoft Surface devices

“The Microsoft Surface devices are priced really competitively, but it isn’t all about that for me,” admits Chris Gundel. “It was more about the end user experience. The budget we had when we chose those old devices was probably a bit tight and subsequently, three years later, the users were really struggling. I didn’t want that to happen going forward.” 
 

Users have been impressed by the performance of the Microsoft Surface devices. “When they started using it, users could see the Microsoft Surface devices were a lot more powerful and faster,” reports Chris Gundel.  
 

“Having a faster, more responsive machine boosts our productivity,” he continues. “We are more productive now. Those savings in terms of logging on in the morning or the time lost when we were waiting for our old devices to respond – that’s all time back to the users now.”  
 

With 2,500 users, this improved performance adds up to significant time savings. Chris Gundel estimates that by switching to Surface devices, the business has saved nearly 150,000 hours over the course of the year. 
 

Flexibility of model enhances user experience while reducing support effort

The main group of users were given the Surface Laptop. A smaller group, who were mobile and preferred a tablet form factor, chose to opt for the Microsoft Surface Pro. For NHS Supply Chain, this versatility within the same device family was another important benefit of choosing Microsoft Surface.  
 

Chris Gundel explains, “With other device manufacturers, the tablet has a different operating system so users can’t access our line of business applications. With Microsoft Surface we can give our users a tablet form factor with a Windows operating system.”
 

As well as improving the user experience, this reduces the support burden on the IT team. 
 

Successfully supporting mobile workers

Chris Gundel says, “The Surface Pro is fantastic because with the detachable keyboard and the pen it has the feel of a tablet, yet it’s a fully formed PC on which they can access all their business applications.” 
 

This offers greater flexibility for mobile workers who now need to carry only a single device. Chris Gundel continues, “Staff can choose to work on the train back from a conference, rather than waiting until they get home to write up their notes. They can be more productive and enjoy a better work-life balance.” 
 

Working at home is easier too. Now, users can take the device with them around the house, working from the sofa as well as the dining room table. Chris Gundel adds, “For me, personally, I have much more freedom knowing I can take my device wherever I want and being confident that it will fire up straight away. I have greater flexibility to work from anywhere.”

High-quality accessories and peripherals

NHS Supply Chain invested in a number of additional peripherals to enhance the user experience. This includes the Microsoft Travel Hub, a multi-port adaptor that provides five ways to connect to networks, displays, and more, including USB-C. It makes working from anywhere easier.  
 

“The Microsoft hardware is going down really well inside my organisation,” states Chris Gundel. “It’s not just the laptop itself, it’s all the Microsoft peripherals: the keyboard, the mouse, the travel hub, the headsets. The Travel Hub is a really good piece of kit.” 
 

NHS Supply Chain also opted for the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, with a built-in Microsoft Surface Slim Pen storage tray. These costs were offset by the value of the Surface devices and the savings on laptop bags – no longer necessary thanks to the robust but lightweight form factor of Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. 
 

“We loved the way the keyboard charged the Surface pen inside the keyboard without faffing about with additional cables,” explains Chris Gundel. “It’s a better user experience and it folds up nicely so the pen can’t get lost.” 
 

Boosting flexibility for all users 

The investment in Surface peripherals has also enabled the IT team to make the hot desking environment in the office much nicer. 
 

“Previously the hot desks were hardwired with a keyboard and mouse,” explains Chris Gundel. “We took the opportunity to get rid of that old kit and issue each user with the modern Microsoft Bluetooth device. Now, we treat them as a personal device – users can use them at home and at work. They are small enough to slip into a bag. The office looks beautiful now – we’ve got rid of all of those keyboards and mice all over the place. Each hot desk is a clear desk with a little docking station.”  
 

As well as looking tidier, this has resulted in a much healthier environment; a consideration which has grown in importance post-COVID. Previously, few people would wipe a mouse or keyboard down. Now, there’s no need – users can simply wipe the desk down.
 

Support from a trusted Microsoft Partner

NHS Supply Chain worked with its Microsoft Partner to manage the distribution of the Microsoft Surface devices to all users. When the rollout began, many people were working from home as the organisation emerged from COVID lockdowns. The Surface Laptops were delivered direct to the user with the experience designed to be as simple as possible. Once the user input their credentials to the new device, they had automatically access to Microsoft 365, the company portal and Microsoft Teams. 
 

“We got a lot of comments saying what a brilliant job it was – and that makes my team feel really proud,” states Chris Gundel. “It was so successful, we were able to take the old laptop from the user and give them the new Microsoft Surface in the same transaction. That saves on courier costs and carbon miles. We could make the whole process more sustainable.”

A focus on enhanced security

As a governmental organisation, IT security is a key priority for NHS Supply Chain. Builds are hardened before devices are dispatched to users: ports are restricted; games are removed; PowerShell is removed. 
 

Chris Gundel explains, “We hardened the build then undertook an independent third-party pen test. It was successful – we had a few minor tweaks and recommendations but, overall, we were very satisfied with the build.” 
 

“Microsoft will be top of my list when we come to refresh again,” admits Chris Gundel. “As well as the Microsoft Surface devices being a great piece of kit, they work seamlessly with the other Microsoft technologies we use, like Windows and Microsoft 365. One aspect that’s often overlooked is the screen ratio of the Surface devices. The 3:2 ratio is tailored for Microsoft 365, making it a more natural user experience.” 
 

Platform for the future 

Given the success of the Microsoft Surface rollout, NHS Supply Chain is now looking at the larger form factor Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio devices which have sleek 14.4" touchscreen, for use as a laptop, an entertainment-ready stage and a portable creative canvas, complete with built-in Slim Pen storage and charging. With brilliant colour and graphics, the standout design enables fluid productivity and an immersive Microsoft Teams experience.  
 

Moving forward, NHS Supply Chain will draw on other Microsoft tools to help manage the estate. Chris Gundel advises, “We’ll use Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot to manage the devices and the operating system upgrades. Now we’ve finished the rollout, we will get users onto Windows 11 later this year.” 
 

He is positive about the impact of choosing Microsoft Surface: “We’ve never looked back! Choosing Microsoft Surface is up there with the best decisions I’ve made in my career. It’s a phenomenal device. Everybody loves using them. And we’re also enjoying the accessories. It’s all positive.”