I have been extremely vocal about the penetration (or the lack of it) of tablets into the enterprise. There has been a small albeit significant uptake
for tablets in the enterprise but for the most part tablets are finding
it hard to find a place in the otherwise technology heavy enterprise
segment.
There are various reasons as to why tablet use has not picked up in
the enterprise space including the obvious one, like tablets are not
enterprise ready, there isn’t a strong use-case or that their position
in the existing hardware ecosystem at enterprises is not well-defined.
However, there is one reason which is rather basic and makes the most sense-
Lack Of Security.
For enterprises, information (data) is the biggest asset and no
company can afford any compromises on that. With PC’s and LAN being the
traditional modus operandi at majority of enterprises, the
security aspect is handled aptly by tweaking firewalls and access
filters. A tablet is structurally and functionally a disruption in the
sense it allows for sharing of information. A mobile device which lets
for exchange of data over a 3G connection or a Wi-FI connection – that’s
a big nightmare for the information security guy in the enterprise.
One reason why the existing tablet makers haven’t forayed into the
enterprise segment by handling the security aspect is largely a function
of the existing state of tablet market. On one hand, there is iPad and then there are those Android based tablet manufacturers.
Well, I haven’t seen Apple really excited about the enterprise sales
channel and Android being open source has its own challenges. One lesser
discussed reason is that the majority of tablet makers have either been
consumer based companies or have marketed their tablets primarily from a
consumer standpoint.
Enter Cisco and you have an OEM which earns its
bread and butter from Enterprise and Enterprise alone. Cisco is almost
ubiquitous in the enterprise especially when it comes to Unified
Communications (voice, data communications/networking).
Cius is Cisco’s entry into the ever increasing list of tablets. What’s more, Cisco is playing to its strengths and is focused on the untapped enterprise segment. Cisco is now launching its tablet- Cius in India and is targeting the tablet at the enterprise
I do not track the tablet space very well but I do manage to read about a new tablet being launched every other day.
I do not remember anyone covering Cius’s launch and possibly because Cisco is not marketing it for the consumer segment.
They are looking to leverage their strengths and targeting their
entire marketing / sales efforts towards the enterprise segment. To put
things into perspective, Cisco already has about 700,000 users in the
enterprise for a variety of its IP telephony and networking products.
That’s a large enough target base to sell to and going by how
enterprise sales cycle work, Cisco stands to work towards causing a
serious disruption by bringing entire department resources to use
tablets. With Cisco’s experience in enterprise sales, it may not face
the friction other tablet makers are expected to face if they try
selling it to the enterprise.
With Cius, Cisco’s messaging is also very clear and ties perfectly
with the enterprise. For one, they aren’t harping on the size of the
appstore etc., but rather hinting at the enhanced security features on offer.
Also supporting Cisco’s cause is seamless integration with Cisco’s
networking and communication infrastructure (wireless LANs) which is how
Cisco can manage to control information flow and delivery a secure
experience. Additionally, Cius is being positioned for improved
productivity though it is yet to be seen if Cisco has tied up with any
enterprise software vendors to provide tablet optimized versions of
frequently used enterprise tools.
The positioning for Cius is definitely on the money but the technical specifications made me cringe a little. The
seven-inch touchscreen tablet works on Intel Atom Processor and comes
with 1GB RAM (expandable memory up to 32GB), dual cameras (front and
back) and 3G/4G and WiFi support.
Atom is not the strongest processor out there and a 1GB RAM does not
really speak “Heavy Duty Performance”. The pricing is a little steep as
well at Rs 35,000 for the tablet and Rs 50,000 for the tablet with a
docking station.
But I don’t see price being a major barrier especially in the
enterprise segment if the tablet manages to deliver on its promise of
security and improved productivity. Only time will tell but I have to
say that Cisco could be a step ahead in pushing tablets into the
enterprise.
What are your thoughts on Cisco’s tablet launch in India targeted specifically at the enterprise segment?
Will Cisco manage to leverage its existing install base and make
tablets popular in the enterprise or will Cius face the same fate as the
many tablet makers out there
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