Lenovo Tablets for Business: Behind the Scenes
Our team here at Lenovo is very excited about our ThinkPad Tablet, which have started shipping. We know that we have great hardware, but our tablet announcement is much more than hardware. I argue that we have the industry’s first business-class tablet because we are the only vendor who can provide a full suite of services to make our customers more productive and secure.
First, a business grade tablet needs a business grade warranty. Our ThinkPad Tablet comes with a one year warranty and can be upgraded to three years in length, which differentiates Lenovo from other tablet makers who offer out of the box warranties that last as few as 90 days and extend to only two years. Furthermore, we can equip models with ThinkPad Protection, which safeguards against many common accidents. Alternative tablets don’t offer this accidental damage protection, even at an extra cost.
Built for Business
Out of the box, any tablet is a consumer device because it is free and open. This is by design and is one of the great things about using a tablet. However, businesses need more control to make sure that tablets on their networks will not compromise security. This takes some customization. (Read: valuable time and money – Android experts are expensive!)
To help our business customers, we are the only vendor to offer a custom “image” on our tablets when they arrive from the factory. This means that a company can give its end users a ThinkPad Tablet that is ready to go as soon as soon as it is turned on for the first time. The tablet is already set up with company’s applications and security settings – while still being able to play Angry Birds.
Another thing our business customers ask for are custom Asset Tags. Perhaps you’ve seen these before, maybe as you stare at a business traveler waiting in an airport security line.
These customizable tags (see image, left) securely attach to the bottom of a system and help identify similar looking machines or help them get returned if lost. We’ve made custom Asset Tags available on the ThinkPad Tablet.
When you put everything together, any number of vendors can sell you a tablet. But if you run a company, you’re going to want a ThinkPad Tablet because it is built for business.
Matthew Kohut is a Services Launch and Sales Enablement consultant at Lenovo. A former hardware guy, Kohut has seen the light on how services can make PCs and tablets even more valuable to business customers. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of The VAR Guy’s annual 2011 sponsorship. Read archived Lenovo guest blogs here.