Puny, lightweight netbooks are making their way into plenty of homes, but they must leap over a few hurdles before they become widely used in offices. First step: Convince the IT guys that the netbooks can handle the business and security needs of your company.
ZDNet polled a few Asian corporations who said they were experimenting with netbooks for their employees, and they raised a number of issues.
YCH Group, a logistics and supply company, said netbooks are suited to executive employees who are often on the road. However, the firm said it made major investments over three years to optimize business software to run well on the low-powered netbooks. Companies who haven’t done similar planning and investing will have a difficult time adopting netbooks due to performance and logistical issues, the company said.
Also, Hong Kong Jockey Club said it is only considering netbooks as an additional option for “non-business critical notebooks,” because netbooks are still aimed at consumers. Manufacturers must aim netbooks directly at business users with corresponding enterprise support and maintenance programs, the company said. Most netbooks ship with Windows XP Home, which lacks security features found in XP Pro or Vista, notes Liliputing’s Brad Linder.
At January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, many manufacturers, including HP, Sony and MSI were showcasing netbooks marketed for business use. The common hardware upgrade targeted at enterprise users was the addition of a 3G modem, which enables users to access the internet anywhere they can get a cellphone signal. Other than that, the business-oriented netbooks gained a more professional appearance than their consumer-oriented predecessors. ZDNet’s report suggests that, in order for netbooks to make it in the business world, manufacturers must address less visible areas as well — software and IT.
Netbooks making some enterprise headway in Asia [ZDNet via Liliputing]
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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
