Partners: Time To Get Going with Windows 8 Tablets

According to the Forrester Global Business and Consumer Tablet Forecast Update released this week, enterprises will be purchasing 18 percent of all tablets sold by 2017 -- confirmation, if you really needed any, that businesses are going the way of consumers in looking to tablets for their next-gen device.

Do you have your tablet strategy in place? Are you talking to your customers about how their employees in the field can use tablets? Are your salespeople carrying tablets? It's time to get going.

Win the Tablet, Win Windows, Win the Stack
Until recently, iPad was the only game in town. While IT teams have been getting increasing pressure from executives to support tablets for line-of-business functionality, concerns about security, skill set and integration have delayed iPad and Android adoption. Which is where Windows 8 comes in.

The Windows 8 partner opportunity is just starting to heat up, and the cross-device compatibility is a strong value proposition. Businesses large and small are trying to figure out how new devices can help them improve productivity and service. Partners can help by developing the apps that improve their customer or employee experience, or delivering the benefits from security to enterprise-level management.

"When you look at Windows 8 from a tablet perspective, that is where it really shines," says Syd Millett, VP and North America GM of Infusion, this year's Windows 8 Application Partner of the Year. "The tablet market in the enterprise is still untapped and there is a clear advantage in reusing the customer's existing investments, both in technology and staff skill sets."

The Best-Kept Tablet Secret
"Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet 2 is Microsoft's best-kept secret," Millet noted. "It's thinner and lighter than an iPad, runs Windows and has 10 hours of battery life. Lenovo is a business-friendly brand. When IT managers see it, they see the possibilities of a device that can integrate with the existing technology stack, be supported by current skill sets and handle the business requirements that the line-of-business managers are requesting."

Coming back from July's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Millet showed the Lenovo tablet to Infusion sales reps. They were wowed, and Millet suggested, "You need to take this out to customers and do what I just did. Show them a couple of demos on it, let them hold on to it. It changes everything."

Help Your Customers Envision the Future
Whether your customers are small businesses or enterprises, you have the opportunity to build your value by helping them figure out how to use tablets to improve operations and customer service. It's not a stretch to think that every in-person interaction with a customer can be enhanced with a tablet.

Put your strategy in place and tablets in your salespeople's hands.

How are you making headway with tablets? Add a comment below or send me a note and let's share the knowledge.

Posted by Barb Levisay on August 08, 2013