The Mobile Majority

Not just for Road Warriors any more, mobility takes hold as a strategic corporate asset across the enterprise.

Most enterprises are far past the point of justifying notebook expenditures as standard equipment for road warriors and top executives on the go. Many view mobility as a strategic asset, even for workers previously considered desktop-bound. This puts IT on the hook to support a broader mobile workforce.

Many companies realize they can make their employees more productive with mobile PCs. In mid-2008, notebooks accounted for almost 40 percent of all enterprise PCs, up from 25 percent three years earlier, according to a report by Forrester Consulting, which surveyed 322 PC decision-makers at North American companies with 1,000 or more employees.

Today’s organization is generally more dispersed, more customer-oriented, and more concerned about its environmental footprint. Its workforce is changing, and so is the technology needed to support maximum productivity.

Previously deskbound staffers now work in more flexible structures that encourage them to move about or outside the campus; many likely perform at least some work from home.

To support this rapidly evolving environment, IT needs to leverage next-generation remote management and anti-theft tools to support dispersed workers with varying levels of sophistication. IT also will be called on to broaden remote access, provide collaboration tools, and securely manage assets that are no longer fixed in place.

Empowered Employees

Intel in 1998 began migrating most of its employees to wireless notebooks, based on studies that demonstrated a better than five percent time savings in the average employee’s workweek.

By 2003, 80 percent of Intel’s installed base was migrated to notebooks, delivering a return on investment (ROI) of USD 26 million as reported in the IT@Intel white paper “Increasing the Business Value of Mobility.” Notebooks are now used as primary computer devices by about 83 percent of all Intel employees.

Forrester’s survey found that notebook users are 51 minutes more productive per work day than desktop users. These users are able to access enterprise applications and the Internet while away from their desk and have greater flexibility with regard both to their local work environment and the hours in which they can work.

Another key driver is the rapid maturing of mobile technologies such as PC-based telephony, unified communications, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which makes it easier to work and better collaborate from any location with Internet connectivity.

In addition to productivity savings, Intel estimates that notebooks dramatically reduce power consumption. Today’s managed notebook uses about 4 percent of the power of a typical unmanaged desktop PC with CRT monitorⁱ.

International IT services company Wipro Consulting Services estimated that a model company currently utilizing 19,300 desktop PCs and 11,500 laptops at a cost of USD 1,162,000 a year for electricity could cut power costs 60 percent to USD 463,000 if it moved 95 percent of its current desktop users to laptops.

Remote Challenges

Supporting notebooks presents a wider set of challenges for IT than fixed desktops.

They’re seldom if ever bolted down and most will likely be taken off campus, so the threat of theft is much greater. In addition, they likely are storing sensitive data and are configured with protocols to gain access to the corporate network.

Today, though, remote management tools effectively address security and theft issues, as well as remote configuration, OS and application updates, and so forth.

In fact, according to Forrester, 83 percent of the decision-makers it surveyed believe “remote management of PCs can reduce the need for deskside support and…it is on average 29 percent less expensive to service a notebook than a desktop…”

Working with notebooks equipped with Intel® vPro™ technology, which provides PCs with hardware-based security and enhanced maintenance and management capabilities, IT can more securely maintain, update, and repair PCs even on an open wired LAN outside the corporate firewall. Remote configuration ensures IT can deploy thousands of notebooks without physical access.

Intel vPro technology integrates PCs with system management consoles from independent software vendors (ISVs) so that IT can deliver down-the-wire security and manageability capabilities—even if the PC’s power is off, the OS is unresponsive, software agents are disabled, or hardware (such as a hard drive) has failedⁱⁱ.

Workforce on the Go

Forrester reported that 64 percent of the PC decision-makers it surveyed experienced improved productivity of employees working outside of the office, while 35 percent experienced improved productivity of employees working inside of the office.

The number of telecommuters is growing: it is already exceeding those who walk to work and is projected by 2015 to be greater than mass transit commuters, according to a recent analysis by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.

At Intel, mobile computing has caused significant change in the work patterns of employees. They are spending more time away from their assigned office spaces—at home, at client and vendor sites, or in common spaces such as conference rooms.

The company has embarked on a long-term project focused on optimizing the mobile work environment with improved office space and furniture, ad hoc conference rooms, and connectivity anywhere inside its buildings.

Mobility, it is clear, is an all-around winning strategy that merits a larger role as a strategic asset. Costs are reduced and companies can improve their environmental footprint. But it’s up to IT to ensure a successful transition by employing the right management tools so workers are able to achieve maximum benefit.

ⁱPerformance testing completed by Intel Performance Benchmark and Competitive Analysis group, December 15, 2008. Performance tests/ratings are provided assuming specific computer systems and/or components and reflect the approximate performance of Intel products as measured by those tests. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration may affect actual performance. This data may vary from other material generated for specific marketing requests.

ⁱⁱIntel® Active Management Technology requires the computer system to have an Intel AMT-enabled chipset, network hardware and software, as well as connection with a power source and a corporate network connection. Setup requires configuration by the purchaser and may require scripting with the management console or further integration into existing security frameworks to enable certain functionality. It may also require modifications of implementation of new business processes. With regard to notebooks, Intel AMT may not be available or certain capabilities may be limited over a host OS-based VPN or when connecting wirelessly, on battery power, sleeping, hibernating or powered off. For more information, see http://www.intel.com/technology/platform-technology/intel-amt/.