Carbon Systems and ASUS Deliver Reliable, Out-of-the-Box Performance to MSPs
Managed service providers (MSPs) keep businesses running by providing core IT infrastructure, services, and support. To stay ahead in a competitive marketplace, MSPs must build a reputation for system reliability and customer service while keeping inventory and labor costs under control. But that requires rock-solid hardware, alongside finding creative ways to make deployments more profitable.
MSPs serving enterprises of all sizes turn to Carbon Systems for computing solutions and value-added services that drive sales and enable healthy profit margins. Carbon Systems provides MSPs with fully preconfigured mini-PC systems that can be set up without costly on-site visits—a major differentiator compared to most OEMs and volume hardware vendors. The company’s expert technical assistance and multi-year guarantee on all NUC systems is just one more reason that MSPs can rely on Carbon Systems.
Carbon Systems’ success depends on a thoroughly tested computing platform built for businesses of any size. That’s why the company chose the compact, energy-efficient, and dependable ASUS NUC 14 Essential, ASUS NUC 14 PRO, and ASUS NUC 15 PRO computing platforms. ASUS NUC products deliver high performance, consistent design, and plenty of connectivity options.
—John Rosebaugh, COO, Carbon Systems
Partnership Highlights
- The ASUS NUC 14 Essential, ASUS NUC 14 Pro, ASUS NUC 15 Pro deliver an ultra-reliable solution to meet the varying requirements of Carbon Systems’ MSP customers.
- ASUS’s clear development roadmap and the stability of the NUC’s design enable Carbon Systems to plan for the future and maintain standardized and cost-effective processes.
- The standard 3-year warranty on ASUS NUCs aligns with Carbon Systems’ customer expectations for product lifecycle and support.
- The ASUS Strategic Partner Alliance (SPA) allows Carbon Systems to participate in product development and marketing initiatives
About Carbon Systems
US-based Carbon Systems gives MSPs a better way to solve the problem of hardware provisioning for their customers.
To differentiate itself from OEMs and other hardware suppliers, Carbon Systems delivers out-of-the-box performance and easy remote setup. The company preconfigures NUC desktop systems for its MSP partners, preloading the mini-PCs with BIOS, OS, drivers, and antivirus software. It can also install a service provider’s remote monitoring and management (RMM) software, any required end-user software, and Microsoft Autopilot to enable automated provisioning and configuration.
Unlike other solution providers, Carbon Systems sells only to MSPs—never their end users—allowing the MSP to fully own customer relationships without worrying about a vendor cutting into sales.
The Challenge: Providing Reliable, Cost-Effective Computing for MSPs
MSPs prioritize dependability, performance, and support when they choose a computing platform. Systems that reduce the need for site visits while keeping end-user customers happy are, therefore, extremely attractive to IT managed service providers.
But to build a business model around meeting these needs, Carbon Systems required a solution that ticked all the boxes for enterprise computing: compact, energy efficient, and highly reliable, with ample connectivity options to accommodate a diverse range of use cases as businesses scale.
In addition, the company was looking for a mini-PC that would remain consistent from generation to generation, so that its workflows wouldn’t need to be reimagined with each new release. This would also allow MSP partners to streamline deployment upgrades with minimal cost and technical overhead.
Other needs included:
- A supply chain that could cope with the high-volume, time-sensitive world of MSP sales
- Device manufacturer support to help resolve hardware issues should they arise
- A manufacturer partnership that enabled Carbon Systems to influence configurations and play a more active role in product development
- Product roadmaps that drive Carbon Systems' strategic direction
The Solution: ASUS NUCs Streamline and Future-Proof Deployments
Carbon Systems found the partner they were looking for in ASUS—and the platform they needed in the ASUS NUC 14 Essential, NUC 14 PRO, and NUC 15 PRO families.
| Feature | ASUS NUC 14 PRO | ASUS NUC 15 PRO | ASUS NUC 14 Essential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel® Core™ Ultra processors up to Core™ Ultra 7 | Intel® Core™ Ultra processors (Series 2) up to Core™ Ultra 7 | Intel® Core™ N-series processors N97, N150, or N355 (mini-PC model) |
| Form Factor | 4x4-inch compact mini-PC available in "Slim" and "Tall" variants | 4x4-inch compact mini-PC available in "Slim" and "Tall" variants | 5.3" x 4.5" x 1.4" |
| Energy Efficiency | Balance of high performance and energy efficiency. Wi-Fi sensing reduces power consumption when user is not present. |
Balance of high performance and energy efficiency. Sync power-off feature shuts screen automatically for improved efficiency. |
Ultra-efficient Intel® Core™ N-series processors consume minimal power while delivering robust performance. |
| Connectivity | Extensive I/O options with support for quad 4K displays. Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) and Bluetooth 5.3. |
Extensive I/O options with support for quad 4K displays. Intel® Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth® 5.4. |
Extensive I/O options with support for up to three 4K displays. Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+) and Bluetooth 5.3. |
End users find NUCs to be an excellent platform for day-to-day business computing. The NUC’s dependability, in combination with ASUS’s service and support ecosystem, means fewer worries over downtime for everyone—and fewer service requests for MSPs. And ASUS’s three-year warranty on NUC products lets Carbon Systems resolve occasional hardware issues promptly when they occur.
For Carbon Systems and its MSP buyers, ASUS NUCs have also been a powerful business enabler:
- Faster, lower-cost deployments translate into reduced overhead and workload for MSPs’ on-site technicians, directly improving the bottom line.
- NUC design consistency keeps Carbon Systems’ internal business processes stable—and makes system upgrades far easier for MSPs, allowing them to perform drop-in replacements for older NUC systems in most cases.
- The robust ASUS supply chain enables the company to offer 3 to 5-day shipping on custom configurations—and has supported Carbon Systems’ business expansion while maintaining its MSP-first, channel-only strategy.
- The extensive ASUS product ecosystem makes it possible for Carbon Systems to sell NUCs bundled with ASUS monitors and keyboards. This delivers a true out-of-the-box computing experience for end users and added revenue for the company and its MSP partners.
Last but not least, ASUS invited Carbon Systems to join its Strategic Partner Alliance program. The program allows Carbon Systems to leverage its in-depth knowledge of NUC systems to collaboratively influence NUC product development, market awareness and engagement initiatives.
—John Rosebaugh, COO, Carbon Systems
Carbon Systems and ASUS Help Service Providers and Enterprises Succeed
Enterprises count on MSPs to keep them up and running so they can get on with business. The key to Carbon Systems’ success has been helping those MSPs manage hardware provisioning, support, and upgrades in a way that maximizes sales, profits, and customer satisfaction.
The company’s partnership with ASUS has been a crucial part of that success. The reliability and consistency of the ASUS NUC family make it the only mini-PC Carbon Systems uses in its thousands of deployments. In the bigger picture, the two companies’ collaboration shows how hardware experts can work together to bring valuable, differentiated solutions to market.
To learn more about how ASUS NUC products like the ASUS NUC 14 PRO, ASUS NUC 15 PRO, and ASUS NUC 14 Essential families are powering businesses all over the world, visit 170.p.syniva.es/us/content/nuc-overview