Just as the workplace has evolved at a rapid pace, so have the technology underpinnings that address the needs of commercial laptop users. As is often the case in the world of IT, the new challenges precipitated by the shift to hybrid work have inspired a wealth of innovation designed to meet the expectations of the new workplace. In the case of commercial laptops, much of that innovation has come at the microprocessor level.
These advances in microprocessor design are critical factors in making a technology refresh both necessary and practical for laptops in 2022. Specifically, they impact three vital areas of concern in delivering a great user experience and the ability of IT teams to adapt to hybrid use cases and modern applications. These key areas are performance, portability, and enterprise management/cybersecurity.
Performance
- Productivity performance: Faster, more powerful laptops reduce time wasted on lagging or crashes—not to mention the impact of lost productivity, increased stress, and mounting frustration. Today's laptops need to be able to handle large files and heavy multitasking, so workers can tackle multiple demanding projects at once. Primary considerations include application start-up speed and the growing performance and collaboration requirements of everyday applications such as Microsoft Office and web browsers.
- Collaboration features: Video collaboration is now an everyday aspect of work. Research from Microsoft shows that the monthly time spent in Microsoft Teams meetings more than doubled globally from February 2020-2021. Users must be able to confidently perform activities such as screen sharing while video conferencing or presenting on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other collaborative applications. The same research shows that the average user of Microsoft Teams sent 32% more chats each week in February 2022 than they did in March 2020. Decision-makers need to consider factors such as video conferencing; application performance; audio capabilities, including Al-based noise cancellation for working in disruptive locations such as coffee shops; and file transfer speeds.
- Graphics capabilities: A business laptop's graphics capabilities significantly impact a professional's user experience by determining the speed and ease of laptop performance, presentation capabilities, and docking capabilities at home or in the office. Primary evaluation criteria include accelerated content creation for word processing, slide decks, light photo and video editing, as well as high-resolution, multi-display support.
Portability
- Battery life: The new breed of hybrid worker has to have a new level of flexibility. They may start the day working at home, unplug and work at a coffee shop, go to the office and plug in at a desk, unplug to go into a huddle room or conference room, and then unplug to work on the train home if they are commuting. These workers need new levels of battery life in their computers to stay untethered from their desks and work without interruption anywhere and at any time. In the world of hybrid work, all-day battery life has become table stakes.
- Portable laptop designs: Hybrid workers need laptops that can be easily transported without sacrificing performance. High-performing processors can now be found in ultra-thin and light laptops that make working on the go more convenient. These lead to greater flexibility for users and give them the opportunity to be more productive when working remotely or from home.
- Connectivity: Performance is not just a matter of CPU speed or capacity. Connectivity is also essential in delivering a great hybrid user experience. If there is lag in video conferencing or if workers can't access information and data in a timely manner, then collaboration and productivity suffer, and IT teams may be dealing with complaints from unhappy users. IT professionals should look for laptops that incorporate next-generation connectivity features such as multiple 4K display support for ultra-high-resolution presentations, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and USB4 for universal docking and ultra-high-speed data transfer.
Enterprise Management/Cybersecurity
- Less downtime, simpler onboarding, and remote lifecycle management: Reducing downtime and the need for desk-side visits is essential for productivity and user experience. Laptops should be enabled with manageability features that support streamlined onboarding and remote management to quickly address any technical concerns for any user at any location.
- User flexibility: IT teams want to give users maximum flexibility to be productive from any location without having to worry about managing their devices. IT can maximize user flexibility with tools such as low- to no-touch cloud-based deployment and remote resetting, repurposing, and redeployment of devices to support a better user experience and reduce IT admin time and costs.
- Built-in cybersecurity protections: Security threats have increased exponentially since the onset of the pandemic. Research shows that security attacks grew by 31% from 2020 to 2021, and the cost of cybercrime is predicted to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. Modern cybersecurity requires multilayered protection to prevent attacks from happening in the first place and safeguard data in the event of a successful attack. Security should be built into each element of the security ecosystem. With a refresh in 2022, users can use security features that address the hybrid workplace, including chipto-cloud security modules, memory encryption, and protection against malware and control-flow attacks.
The Bigger Truth
The world of work is forever changed. Hybrid work is now a fixed aspect of many organizations and an expectation for many workers. The benefits for organizations and their employees can be transformational, leading to improved productivity, reduced costs, greater job satisfaction, and a healthier work-life balance for millions of workers worldwide. To achieve the full potential of the new world of work, it is important for organizations to invest in technologies that eliminate obstacles to a great user experience and instead provide capabilities that reduce friction to allow workers to do their best work from any location at any time.
This means recognizing the changes that have taken place in modern workflows and applications. It means focusing on the key areas of performance, portability, and enterprise management/cybersecurity. It means seriously evaluating which technologies are being used in the organization and investing in a refresh wherever it is necessary to deliver a great user experience. Falling behind in technology increases the risk of falling behind in business.
In evaluating laptops for possible upgrades and refreshes, the first place to start is with the underlying microprocessor technology. The technological advances in performance, portability, manageability, and cybersecurity have been significant over the past few years and are probably the biggest point of differentiation between older and modern commercial devices. Looking at key areas such as battery life, application start-up speed, audio and video capabilities, and file transfer speeds, an organization can easily make a strong business case for providing users with laptops that use the latest microprocessor technologies.
Commercial laptops using AMD microprocessors as a foundation offer clear advantages in performance, portability, enterprise management, and cybersecurity. For more information on how you can leverage advanced modern solutions to deliver and achieve a great hybrid user experience, please visit AMD Ryzen Processors with PRO Technologies.
