We expect everyone to have a computer on their desk, but there are now millions of pads in use in businesses and some people are spending more time on their pads than on their computers.
On a pad you can handle your email, read and create documents, review and edit spreadsheets, browse the internet, even create presentations. And that’s about 90% of what most people use computers for.
A pad is mobile, so you can use it anywhere. Easily take it home. It’s tactile and personal and more intuitive than a computer. No wonder then that people may prefer it, if it can do the job
Recently when Woolworths ordered several hundred iPads they said it was to get managers out of their offices and back on the floor, where they could be more effective.
Many businesses have custom apps that run on pads, that they use for on-site data gathering or other technical work, giving pads a power that computers don’t have.
Even laptops struggle to compete in terms of portability and battery life.
Pads are also breaking the hardware dominance of Windows machines. Once, over 90% of computers ran Microsoft systems. Now mobile devices outnumber computer and the run Apple, Android, Windows. The explosion in the use of apps and other internet-based software however has actually reduced the learning curves for different pad systems, as apps and SaaS software tend to look and work the same regardless of the platform.
While users have driven the expansion of mobile devices into businesses, often using their own devices ( creating the acronym BYOD for bring your own device) IT departments have more often worked against them.
Worried about data security they have often worked to restrict BYOD.
Data security however has turned out to be a less serious issue than anticipated, with a lot of data stored in secure clouds and not on devices which can be lost. Even if that happens, the ability to remotely lock and even erase a device gives pads superior security to many laptops.
In practice, the major difficulty has often been in managing syncronisation, to ensure users don’t end up with multiple, conflicted copies. Clear protocols are needed.
If you woudl like to explore making more use of mobile devices as part fo your information systems, I can help.
Mr WordPress
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