Get the Hardware Right and Productivity will Soar!
In this day and age of the electronic revolution, life at work has changed as we know it. Just a very short time ago it was considered WRONG to take a laptop into a meeting, no one carried around a computer the size of a sheet of paper, and most computer users were sequestered into their own little cubicle domain for the better part of eight hours a day.
Boy, has life changed!!
Nowadays, it’s more common to see someone walking down the hall typing away on a screen or keyboard than it is to see pen and paper. Standing workstations or mobile computer desktops are commonplace. Some enterprise even have a combination of desktop PCs, desktop replacement (big) laptops, portable laptops (light), tablets, and both mobile and stationary work areas.
So, how do you know what’s best to use? What makes one piece of hardware better than the other? Or a particular combo the best route to go? Is it personal preference, size of workspace, amount of data, price, or what?
Here are a few important considerations:
Need for freedom – on the go technology with a minutes notice
How to keep all devices in sync?
Budget
Number of staff and their preferences
Let’s investigate four different combinations and the potential benefits, pros, and cons.
1. Tablet or Lightweight Laptop with All-in-One
2. Mobile Workstation, or Tablet and Workstation
3. Tablet and Desktop
4. Tablet and Laptop
How about a tablet or lightweight laptop combined with an All-in-One workstation. Benefits of the workstation are many. You lose the bulkiness of the regular PC, but lose nothing in performance. The thin client, high-resolution monitor frees up enormous amounts of space. You can adjust the viewing angle and obtain various types of stands to fit the monitor just right for the individual. Some monitors are even touch screen, if this functionality works well for you environment. Last, but not least, the price isn’t bad either!
Pair your all-in-one with a tablet and you get easy mobility, lightweight, and easy file transfer. The light laptop affords a few other benefits, but is a little heavier and little pricier. Laptop benefits over the tablet would include clam shell screen protection, larger screen, faster performance due to higher processor speed and solid state drives, and longer battery life.
Next we take a look at the mobile workstation or a tablet and an actual workstation. First question here is, do you need/want to be full mobile? Also, does the staff have the dexterity for a full mobile workstation? If not, the table and workstation may work well for you. However, the benefits of the mobile workstation are its great processing power, rapid start-up and shutdown, full keyboard and maybe number pad. Finally, you usually will have conferencing and full webinar capabilities.
The tablet affords excellent mobility on a small platform when needed. Most tablets have great business aps ready to roll, great 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and good security and batteries. They are also very small and lightweight. A really cool feature on some tablets is that you can write on them and convert to an electronic document (handwriting conversion).
While the tablet gives the easy mobile answer in this package, the workstation provides more storage and power. So, if you need higher-capacity solid state drives, great video and graphics, supreme memory, and quiet, compact designs, the workstation is a great answer.
Next let’s take a look at a tablet/desktop combination. The tablet, again, provides the ultimate in lightweight mobility. The lightest weight mobile opportunity combined with its overall functionality make it a great option in the combo for the on-to-go guru.
When combining the tablet with the desktop, you get the best in mobility along with the supremacy of memory, speed, main frame access, and security.
Finally, the tablet and laptop combo gives a great array of features to the mobile hero who only rests in short periodic bursts and has no need for a master PC at the desk. This combination works best for the constant mover and shaker who seldom stays still.
The tablet will handle the quick meetings where it’s inconvenient to break out the laptop. It’s also great for taking notes while the laptop is better for expansive writing thanks to the full size keyboard. Most laptops have webcam and video conferencing capabilities also. You could then use the laptop to connect while multi-tasking on the tablet.
With all of these possibilities available, you can certainly get the most mobility and productivity for your buck.
