Like countless consumer devices before them, netbooks are seeping into the enterprise space as employees tote them from home to work and back. But whereas full-fledged notebooks earned their place in enterprises long ago, netbooks remain classified as consumers-only by many IT personnel, who see the devices as little more than glorified smartphones. Still, the netbook trend is growing stronger and forcing data center and IT managers to gauge their worth in the enterprise.

“We can already see from the adoption of smartphones like the iPhone that personal devices are making their way into the enterprise in people’s pockets, so there’s no reason to think netbooks might not arrive in their small bags,” says Matthew Cooke, senior product marketing manager at iPass (www.ipass.com). “The portability of a netbook makes it perfect for the regularly mobile individual who wants access to a full email client, a rich Web browsing experience, and light office applications.”

Cooke explains that a smartphone might suffice for some users, but for others looking for more power, a desktop application experience, or simply a QWERTY keyboard, netbooks can prove to be alluring. In turn, organizations are bound to recognize that allure and subsequently equip employees with mobile devices that suit their activities, rather than doling out a one-size-fits-all notebook.

Gems In Certain Rough

With even wireless providers offering netbooks with their data plans, the average small or midsized enterprise is bound to have employees carting the devices to work. Yet regardless of how netbooks are entering the enterprise, there appears to be legitimate uses for the devices under certain circumstances. James Brehm, computing analyst in the mobile and wireless research practice at Frost & Sullivan, notes that enterprises using Web-based programs and similar cloud applications require less processing capability from local machines.

“In this instance, netbooks are a good, almost perfect solution. Second, for jobs that don’t require a lot of mathematical computations [or] database or spreadsheet activity, netbooks are a fine solution. Third, because of the price point, netbooks are almost a disposable solution when compared to ruggedized or semi-rugged notebooks,” Brehm says.

Many companies have adopted a BYOC (bring your own computer) policy, explains John Alston, president and CEO of Club-Drive Systems (www.clubdrive.com). Under such policies, workers choose computing devices that are most appropriate for their work, in turn allowing them to select the size, color, speed, storage space, and other factors of the devices. These policies, along with the increased presence of cloud applications, are lending more viability to the netbook platform.

However, there’s an ironic twist to netbooks when it comes to their existence in the corporate realm, according to Kurt Moody, a senior manager in Citrix’s XenApp product group (www.citrix.com). “The most compelling thing about these devices, at least for the majority of consumers, is their light weight and small form factor,” he says. “From an end-user perspective, as a ‘simple’ Internet access device, this can be quite compelling, but as a business user, the form factor becomes an ergonomic compromise, especially for knowledge workers and content creators.”

Into The Fold

Challenges do exist for SMEs considering implementing netbooks, but they’re relatively similar to challenges inherent with other mobile technologies. Cooke explains that company-issued notebooks shouldn’t pose much trouble because they’ll be treated as another corporate asset, but employees bringing in their own netbooks will force IT departments to establish new support relationships with users to provide them with the ability to connect to basic services such as email.

“Supporting the hardware and device functions on personal devices will be difficult, so the users will also have to take a certain amount of responsibility for their own device and consider if they are technically astute enough to take that on,” Cooke says. “It may be more suitable for some [employees] to solely use corporate-owned and supported devices.”

Brehm adds that although netbook planning and testing is no different from the practices required for traditional notebooks, IT policies need to account for the highly “connected ability” of netbooks. Moreover, IT teams need to be aware that some netbooks run obscure Linux versions that might have compatibility issues with internal corporate software, he says.

Looking Ahead

According to Brehm, PC manufacturers coined the term “netbook” to differentiate higher-priced notebooks from lower-cost, lower-power netbook computers that hit the market in 2007. He adds that most consumers don’t need more power than what a netbook provides for emailing, surfing the Web, and sending photos. But Web-based environments (such as the classroom) are also a good fit, as are enterprises where beefier machines aren’t required. Frost & Sullivan predicts that the netbook market will outpace the notebook in terms of growth for the next several years, cementing the notion that multiple form factors can serve to fulfill client needs.

by Christian Perry