1.1 Definition and presentation

An operating lease is a contract through which it is possible to obtain the supply of goods necessary for the business of a company or professional through the payment of a monthly fee. This contract varies in duration but normally starts from a minimum of three years and is renewable. It applies to various types of capital goods, including computer equipment needed for business activities: so we are mainly talking about desktop and laptop computers, monitors, keyboards and mice, smartphones and tablets.

The broader global equipment leasing market is projected to grow from $316.22 billion in 2020 to $342.66 billion in 2021 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4 percent, including IT equipment leases and rentals in its components.

In Italy, revenues from rental and leasing of office equipment, including IT equipment, accounted for 9.5% of total revenues from rental and leasing activities in 2018 [Istat]. In addition, revenues from the rental and leasing of office machinery and equipment (including computers) in this country are expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5 percent between 2020 and 2024.

The main driver of demand for these contracts is the increasingly shortening life cycle of electronic products, especially computer products. Indeed, obsolescence is becoming a priority issue: the need for high-performance machines that support the latest available software or technologies is critical in many contexts. In addition, the increased attention that Italian consumers are paying to sustainability issues is another key aspect to consider for this market, as operating leases streamline the life-cycle and scrapping processes of machines.

Overall, the Italian IT and telematics equipment leasing and rental market appears to be in excellent shape and pointing toward important growth. In fact, the COVID-19 crisis has fostered greater attention by companies to their expenditures, thus representing an interesting opportunity for this market, which aims above all to allow companies not to have to bear the full cost of the initial purchase of IT and telematics equipment.

1.2 European market

To understand European market trends, you can use data from the Eurostat website with the code "N"**** - Rental and leasing of office machines and computers."

Turnover of the rental and leasing of office machines and computer equipment sector European Union, ****-****, billion euros Source: ****

It can be seen that the ...

1.3 Italian market

The leasing sector in Italy is growing a lot, thanks to tax breaks and the possibility of promptly receiving technical support. The sector of Ateco code **, i.e., the rental sector, with the highest turnover is machinery, while already in third place, although with ** percent less turnover, is office equipment including ...

1.4 Impact of Covid on the industry

According to the results ofISTAT 's "Situations and Prospects of Businesses in the COVID-** Health Emergency," at the end of ****, more than two-thirds of businesses were experiencing declines in revenues compared to ****, and ** percent expected declining revenues in the first six months of **** as well; ** percent believed their chances of survival ...

2.1 Why you choose leasing

There are numerous reasons why companies switch to computer leasing:

TECHNOLOGICAL MODERNITY

Operating leasing allows the leasing company to have equipment that is always aligned with the technological state of the art and to avert the risk of obsolescence, which is particularly sensitive in the IT sector.

OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY

By renting ...

2.2 Internet use in enterprises

The main customers of computer leasing are companies that provide this service to their employees. To understand how this demand may vary, it is good to see how much ICT technologies have entered Italian companies and various economic sectors, from the simple use of the internet to the more complicated IoT ...

2.3 Companies and the Cloud

The Cloud is an online data storage and processing system, i.e., they are stored on remote hardware.

Businesses, for reasons of space and cost, are beginning to use this technology, and accessing it requires the use of an Internet-connected device. Companies may decide to take advantage of low-level Cloud services, ...

2.4 Companies and IoT

Another reason companies want to lease computers is so they can use IoT and interconnecting device technologies that can be monitored and controlled remotely. Among the most widely used systems are ERP, CRM applications, and IoT devices. As with Cloud technologies, the use of these systems depends on the area of ...

2.5 Which computers are most in demand

The models of computers leased by companies depend mainly on the operating system in use by the company itself, which, in turn, depends on the company's product and business.

In ****, the most widely used operating system is Windows, **.** percent, followed by macOS, **.** percent, and Linux, *.** percent. Windows, produced by Microsoft, is ...

3.1 Business model

Leasing models consist mainly of three elements: the manufacturer, the leasing company, and the lessor.

In the computer business, computer manufacturers sell their products to a second company that buys them in large quantities. This latter company rents the products to the end customer in exchange for payment of a monthly ...

3.2 Computer rental companies

Enterprises offering computer rental services are analyzed under Ateco code **.** "Rental of office equipment including computers " .

In ****, *** active enterprises and **** employees are registered in the sector in Italy.

The number of enterprises grew by ** percent between **** and ****, while between **** and **** the number increased more slightly, by *.* percent

Number of active enterprises ...

3.3 Manufacturers and renters

Some computer companies are beginning to offer leasing or special financing for businesses themselves. In this way they are also taking care of the recovery of their products at the end of their life cycle.

4.1 Type of rental

There are two types of leases, finance lease and operating lease:

Percentage change between **** and **** of financial and operating leases by price range Italy, ****-****, percent Source: ****

4.2 Prices

Rental prices depend a lot on the length of the contract, the type of contract, the type of computer being rented, the ancillary services required, and the amount of computers rented. it is therefore complicated to estimate rental prices since they are Tailored-made offers.

To get a very general idea, below ...

5.1 Regulations

Each rental contract is unique and customized, between the hiring entity and the end consumer. However, there is a decree, Legislative Decree **/****, that regulates equipment rental activities. It protects the end consumer, and disclaims responsibility for the conformity of the product to the hirer, while it protects the hirer with regard ...