Microsoft Surface now available for enterprise bulk buying

Microsoft is now allowing companies to bulk buy its tablets – both the Surface Pro and Surface RT.

Corporate customers will now be able to place orders for company-wide rollouts, despite the fact that the 128GB version of the Surface Pro remains in short supply.

Although the buying scheme – first spotted by ZDNet – has already gone live, Microsoft admitted customers may face delays: “Lead times for delivery and order requirements may vary depending on inventory.”

The company will also give preference to existing enterprise customers, with new business partners having to wait longer.

“If you do not currently have a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft, there may be additional processing time to setup account and credit terms,” Microsoft said, adding all commercial orders required a valid company purchase order.

The commercial orders website is available for UK customers, but as the Pro version has yet to be released here only Surface RT tablets and accessories are available at present.

As well as tablets and accessories, Microsoft also detailed three-year Extended Hardware Service Plans costing $200 per device for the Surface Pro and $150 for Surface RT.

The extended warranty is restricted to US and Canadian clients, and includes a replacement machine to reduce downtime.

“The plan includes shipping a replacement unit out prior to your product return to minimise downtime,” Microsoft said. “The Extended Hardware Service Plan can be purchased up to 45 days after device purchase.”