Will Your Workers Be Using Tablets Instead of Laptops?

tablet_at_officeMicrosoft, which has always had a huge enterprise presence, introduced the Surface Pro with the enterprise in mind. Now, Apple with the iPad Pro and Google with Pixel C have also introduced tablets with keyboards, USB ports and other features that enterprises value.  Although these “pro” or enterprise versions cost more than the consumer targeted tablets, they cost significantly less than a standard enterprise laptop.

The Surface Pro has advantages in that it offers, with Windows 10, the familiar file structures and Office applications, and from an IT management and security perspective, it can be managed via active directory. Apple is promoting compatibility with Microsoft Office (MS executives and Apple executives on the same stage!), and collaborating with IBM and Cisco, to position themselves as a true enterprise provider.

Although Apple and Google have mostly focused on the consumer market with their mobile devices, now all three companies recognize the importance of the enterprise market to their tablet sales growth, so we can expect more support and features.  This push may also slow, or even reverse, the BYOD trend.

Cloud and web based applications are a key consideration for enterprise IT decision makers.  If an employee only needs to use cloud based applications, a tablet may be an easier and lower cost solution.  A tablet that does not store any data – everything is in the cloud – could also be more secure than a laptop.  Whether opting for a bare bones tablet or a high-end desktop computer, it’s important for enterprises to analyze what a user will be doing with the system, as well as security issues and asset management capabilities. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for every enterprise.

The most likely scenario, for the next few years at least, is that IT Asset Managers will have PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones to manage. More of these may be from “new” vendors like Apple and Google.  And many users could have 2, 3 or even 4 devices they use in their work. While users may be delighted, many IT support and asset management teams will be struggling to keep up with the multiplicity of devices, OS’s and applications.

As your company transitions to new end user hardware platforms, be sure to plan for the whole lifecycle, including end-of-life data security, chain of custody and value recovery. The professionals at Lifespan can make sure that you are covered for this at every angle.

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