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Horizon Information Group Sees Netbooks as Strategic Move for Many SMBs
Westborough, MA
Thursday, July 09, 2009
In a series of recent briefings to owners, managers, and IT professionals, Allen Falcon, President of Horizon Information Group, advised that small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) consider netbook deployment part of their strategic technology plans. As discussed in the a, netbooks are low cost notebook computers with configurations tuned for basic office tasks and Internet access. With less memory, energy efficient CPUs, and graphics accelerators for web performance, netbooks cost between 50% and 70% less then traditional notebooks.
"Strategically, SMBs should adopt matching computer configurations to users' business need as a best practice", states Falcon. "Netbooks, by design, will meet the needs of administrative staff and others users that do not run applications that demand high performance hardware" Falcon identifies four traits common to most netbooks.
1) Small Format: Many models are 8.5 x 11 or smaller, feature ultra-high resolution 10.5" screens. Some models are slightly larger, sporting screens up to 13".
2) Low Power Processor: Intel's new Atom processor sips electricity. With a large cache and fast bus, you get decent performance and long battery life.
3) Less Memory and Disk: Most netbooks max out between 1GB and 2GB of memory, with disk sizes ranging from 60GB to 120GB.
4) Graphics Accelerators: Netbooks have graphics capabilities that are positively out of proportion to the rest of the system. The result: great Internet/Web performance without the CPU and Memory cost.
According to Falcon, "Netbooks are NOT for everyone. If you are a serious gamer, do graphic design, have local databases, or run CPU and memory-intensive applications, the CPU speed and memory in the netbook will not meet you needs" With price points between $300 and $1200, however, netbooks can be a suitable replacement for desktop computers with the added advantage of mobility.
Businesses that compare the capability of netbooks against user requirements should find an opportunity to save money without sacrificing users' ability to succeed at their jobs.
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Horizon Information Group provides information technology and service leadership for small and mid-size enterprises. Beyond improving day-to-day operations, Horizon helps clients align information technology and services with business goals and objectives, following through to manage change and ensure successful implementation. Horizon assist clients with strategic planning, pragmatic solutions to business problems, applied best practices, operational oversight, vendor management, project management, systems integration, and technical expertise.
"Strategically, SMBs should adopt matching computer configurations to users' business need as a best practice", states Falcon. "Netbooks, by design, will meet the needs of administrative staff and others users that do not run applications that demand high performance hardware" Falcon identifies four traits common to most netbooks.
1) Small Format: Many models are 8.5 x 11 or smaller, feature ultra-high resolution 10.5" screens. Some models are slightly larger, sporting screens up to 13".
2) Low Power Processor: Intel's new Atom processor sips electricity. With a large cache and fast bus, you get decent performance and long battery life.
3) Less Memory and Disk: Most netbooks max out between 1GB and 2GB of memory, with disk sizes ranging from 60GB to 120GB.
4) Graphics Accelerators: Netbooks have graphics capabilities that are positively out of proportion to the rest of the system. The result: great Internet/Web performance without the CPU and Memory cost.
According to Falcon, "Netbooks are NOT for everyone. If you are a serious gamer, do graphic design, have local databases, or run CPU and memory-intensive applications, the CPU speed and memory in the netbook will not meet you needs" With price points between $300 and $1200, however, netbooks can be a suitable replacement for desktop computers with the added advantage of mobility.
Businesses that compare the capability of netbooks against user requirements should find an opportunity to save money without sacrificing users' ability to succeed at their jobs.
---
Horizon Information Group provides information technology and service leadership for small and mid-size enterprises. Beyond improving day-to-day operations, Horizon helps clients align information technology and services with business goals and objectives, following through to manage change and ensure successful implementation. Horizon assist clients with strategic planning, pragmatic solutions to business problems, applied best practices, operational oversight, vendor management, project management, systems integration, and technical expertise.
Allen B. Falcon
President
Horizon Information Group, Inc.
Westborough, MA
508-329-2058
508-329-0245
First Url: Allen on LinkedIn
Second Url: Allen's Blog
