Startup everphone leases mobile devices with inclusive Mobile Device Management solution by Cortado
The phone-as-a-service provider everphone successfully launched in 2016 with the idea of completely relieving companies from the burden of provisioning and maintaining smartphones and tablets. In summer 2020, the Berlin-based venture capitalist, Signals Venture Capital, invested 34 million euros in a Series B financing round. Three new investors – U.S. VC Alleycorp, the Dutch bank NIBC and Deutsche Telekom – also joined the Berlin start-up.
The core idea of the Checkpoint Charlie-based start-up is as simple as it is ingenious: smartphones and tablets are rented to companies in an all-inclusive, carefree package. The service includes much more than just long-term rental of the devices – for example, replacement of devices in case of defects is included, and all devices are inventoried via an administration portal. Any existing equipment which the client owns is purchased before the contract is signed, and the refurbishment and resale of obsolete hardware ensures sustainability.
Before distribution to employees, the devices are preconfigured in accordance with data protection regulations, apps are rolled out, and rights are assigned.To make this possible, a mobile device management system is required.
In 2018, everphone and Cortado Mobile Solutions signed a cooperation agreement to equip everphone rental devices with an MDM from Cortado. Since then, this has been used in many everphone projects. And the trend is rising. Customers come from all industries, reports Michel Anders, Mobile Device Manager at everphone. Among the client portfolio are hospitals, car dealerships, real estate management, construction companies, start-ups and digital companies, manufacturing companies, mechanical engineering and logistics as well as management consultancies.
One joint customer is the city administration of Erkelenz. When the council in the Heinsberg district switched to mobile working in the wake of the Corona pandemic, a fast and, of course, cost-effective solution was required. Existing mobile devices were integrated into the service through a so-called lease buyback: everphone purchased the existing devices and rented them back to the Heinsberg team – now equipped with the full-service package in the rental model. Apps such as Office 365 are managed with Cortado MDM, as are other custom apps which were developed in-house, e.g. for monitoring stationary traffic and the construction depot.
“Our joint solution with Cortado MDM offers our customers real added value,” says Michel Anders. “An MDM is now part and parcel of any mobile business solution.
Anton Tippe from Cortado Mobile Solutions is also pleased with the successful cooperation: “For many companies, this option of equipping employees with mobile devices is simply ideal. The budgets and IT departments are considerably relieved with this concept. We look forward to many more joint projects”.
ABOUT EVERPHONE
everphone is the one-stop solution for corporate smartphones. Since 2016, the start-up has been offering an innovative concept for the procurement, management and integration of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets in a corporate context. The “Phone as a Service” rental model gives employees a free choice of company phones, allows flexible upgrades and device changes and includes both GDPR-compliant Mobile Device Management (MDM) and a replacement service in case of defects. everphone was founded by former CHECK24 board member Jan Dzulko and employs over 60 people in Berlin. In addition to numerous start-ups and SMEs, everphone customers include global players such as Axel Springer and Ernst & Young.