Why is it that so many end-users prefer their own devices over those issued to them by their employer, and why do so many organisations not understand why? An Intel-commissioned survey* published in 2021 found that more than almost half of all UK employees polled believe a more powerful or upgraded device would enable them to improve their productivity, with 37% estimating that this would enable them to recover more than six hours per week of lost or unproductive time. In a separate report conducted by Forrester Consulting**, 50% of employees said that their device was out of date or insufficient.
There’s a disconnect at work here – one that was already developing in the pre-COVID era and is only growing larger in a world of hybrid working styles. On the one hand, IT teams prioritise security, stability, manageability and the performance and connectivity needed to work within the existing IT systems on the corporate estate. They have laptop and mobile device fleets to manage and budgets to work within, which makes it easier to standardise on a small set of devices and deliver hardware that provides the right capabilities at the right price.
Employees, however, have their own priorities. They’re consumers of technology and they know what they like. They want devices that are easy to use, that support their productivity, that feel responsive and tuned to their specific needs, with high-quality screens, cameras, speakers and microphones that improve the remote-working experience. They want thin-and-light laptops that can work in a wide range of environments, but that still feel slick and responsive throughout their working day.
In a way, both parties are working to a misconception. Too many IT teams assume that stylish, thin and light devices can’t offer the security, manageability, stability and performance that are crucial to a business device. They believe that those that do will be too expensive for anyone outside a small group of executives. Meanwhile, employees believe that thin, light or stylish business devices are reserved for executives or the lucky few. They feel that if they can’t have their personal devices, they’re going to be missing out.
Now, though, a new class of business-grade Intel® Evo™ vPro® laptops is making the old distinctions irrelevant. They ensure that both business and IT teams and their workers get machines that match both sets of priorities, without any significant compromise along the way.
Laptops based on the Intel Evo platform are co-engineered with Intel’s manufacturing partners to provide a best-in-class experience. They can be sleek, thin-and-light devices weighing under 1.5kg, yet still have 13in to 16in screens and high-performance 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 and i7 Processors, with the levels of power needed to handle desktop-class computing tasks. They have the high-resolution displays and Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics horsepower to provide more immersive experiences with video, 3D graphics, creative applications and more. They wake in less than a second and are 40% more responsive than a two-year old laptop while running on batteries. They come with the latest connectivity, including 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking plus USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4 ports, providing 40Gbit/sec bandwidth to cover docking solutions, high-speed storage and ultra-HD external displays.†
Different users have different needs, and not all Intel Evo vPro platform devices share a single form factor or visual style. Yet even the larger 15.6in and 16in models are easily portable, and each is beautifully designed and built. What’s more, they’ve been designed not to constrain where, how or when you work, with battery lives stretching between 10 and 24 hours of real-world mixed usage, based on Intel’s own tests, with many in the 14 hours and upwards range. Charge them once and you’re good for a full working day.
Crucially, however, they come with features and capabilities that you won’t find in consumer-grade devices. With a firm foundation in 11th Gen Intel® Core vPro technology, this includes hardware-based security, including Intel® Hardware Shield, which protects the laptop at the firmware level, minimising the risk of malicious code injection and ensuring that the OS boots securely. Virtualisation capabilities and Intel® Threat Detection Technology work with software from Microsoft and other partners to provide additional layers of protection against ransomware, crypto-mining and other threats without any significant impact on performance.
Intel Evo vPro platform devices also include Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) to make it easier for IT teams to support employees both inside and outside the office, using tools like the Intel® Endpoint Management Assistant (Intel® EMA) to enable IT teams to manage devices securely through the cloud. With Intel AMT you can manage, secure and update Intel Evo vPro devices remotely, with the minimum of user intervention – and even less disruption to their working day. You can even provide remote support, fixing unresponsive applications or even non-responsive systems while limiting the times you will need to physically work on them.
What’s more, Intel understands that stability counts in a business PC fleet. That’s why devices in the Intel Evo vPro platform are designed to have no hardware changes for at least 15 months or until the next generational release, meaning devices are easier to support and repair, and IT teams aren’t battling to manage a wide range of different software images and device configurations.
With Intel Evo vPro laptops‡, you no longer have to choose between stability and security versus great looks and a great user experience. You no longer have to choose between performance and a versatile, lightweight form factor. In effect, you get style and substance – and everybody gets what they want.
Learn more about the Intel Evo vPro platform
*https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/study-evo-vpro-answer-legacy-pc-barriers.html
‡https://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/architecture-and-technology/vpro/evo-vpro-platform.html
