By Peter K. Han, Microsoft Vice President of US OEM
Today’s tablets are ready for business, and businesses are ready for tablets. I want to help you feel energized and prepared to capitalize on these converging realities in the enterprise IT marketplace. Our goal is to anticipate and fulfill customers’ needs while growing your business. Touch devices and tablets can help you accomplish both.
The Windows 8 operating system has empowered OEMs to deliver a new generation of tablets that meet the needs of both end users and enterprise IT. End users want style, simplicity, and convenience, and IT needs security, provisioning, manageability, deployment, support, and service that are consistent with its current infrastructure for the lowest lifecycle cost. And, because there is a defined customer opportunity in tablets, there is revenue opportunity for you in tablets.
Windows 8, combined with innovative form factors, simply means more business can get done. It’s crucial that partners understand the value of this benefit to their busy enterprise customers, and how it manifests in our Windows 8 offering. For example, Windows 8 Pro was designed specifically to help businesses improve efficiency and work flow with an intuitive, touch interface that enables a fluid computing experience and fast navigation to desired information. Also, the new Start screen allows users to customize a selection of live tiles that toggle between their most-used apps and business software, which supports easy, dynamic multitasking. Tablets, convertibles, notebooks, desktops, and all-in-ones can work together seamlessly to meet the demands of any business.
Your opportunity is further enhanced because your partner status affords you access to powerful Windows 8 resources and solutions. Partners from a wide variety of product and solutions segments will be able to sell the value of touch innovation to their business customers by adapting and innovating new ways of offering their core products and services in the context of touch technologies. Growth opportunities related to tablets and other touch devices range from app development to new IT integration strategies for enterprise customers.
Recent announcements made at the COMPUTEX conference in Taiwan further reflect the Microsoft commitment to supporting partners through a diverse set of devices and services. Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft OEM, discussed the growing opportunities available to partners who commit to Windows by building devices, services and apps for their customers during his recent COMPUTEX keynote address, including the breadth of innovation coming from the Windows ecosystem.
You can transform your business by finding ways to meet the needs of your enterprise customers in the new touch computing world. It’s what customers want—and the opportunity is yours for the taking.
I encourage you to register to attend 2013 Worldwide Partner Conference if you’d like to learn more about integrating touch into your business, and to connect with me on Twitter @PeterKHan to share how you’re going to take advantage of this exciting shift in our industry.