Microsoft unveiled some big news today at its Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Toronto. The Surface line of tablet hybrid computers will now be offered as a subscription service through Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs).

Surface-as-a-Service puts a whole new spin on the SaaS acronym, which is widely accepted as “Software-as-a-Service”. It seems like just about everything is being re-packaged “as-a-service” these days, but SaaS is actually one of the oldest forms of the “as-a-service” because Software-as-a-Service originated the model of licensing and distribution.

Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group for Microsoft, explained to the WPC audience that the Surface-as-a-Service program will allow CSPs to offer Surface hardware as a managed service offering. Combined with cloud services, Office 365, and the Windows 10 managed subscription offering (which Microsoft also announced today), the CSPs will be able to provide a comprehensive end-to-end IT solution as a managed service.

Read the full article at: www.forbes.com