Workers shifting away from desktops in search for flexibility
Pressure on the humble desktop continues with LaptopsDirect.co.uk charting its decline in the workplace.
The PC market exited 2018 bruised by CPU shortages and growing political uncertainty and the forecasts for the year ahead have been fairly muted from the large analyst houses.
Earlier this week Gartner revealed that the second half of last year had seen market fortunes downturn but pointed out that external factors were largely to blame and things could start to ease off for the better.
“Just when demand in the PC market started seeing positive results, a shortage of CPUs (central processing units) created supply chain issues. After two quarters of growth in 2Q18 and 3Q18, PC shipments declined in the fourth quarter,” said Mikako Kitagawa, senior principal analyst at Gartner.
The leading PC vendors - Lenovo, HP and Dell - continue to fight it out for market share but the number of users opting to have a desktop in the office has dipped under half of the UK workforce.
Research from LaptopsDirect.co.uk has found that only 42% of UK workers use a desktop and 26% of those expect to move to a laptop over the next 12 months.
The etailer found that 38% of workers are already using a laptop and 22% have chosen to use a tablet as their weapon of choice in the workplace.
In terms of vertical markets the desktop has fallen out of favour most in retail, then in order of decline hospitality and leisure, marketing and creative, construction and professional services.
"More and more we’re hearing from our business customers that not only do clients expect workers to be able to work on the go, but increasingly the generation Z and millennial aged workforces climbing today’s career ladder expect a degree of flex on working hours and patterns. Which requires devices that enable them to work remotely or on the move," said Mark Kelly, marketing manager at LaptopsDirect.co.uk.
Laptops and tablets have gained in popularity because of the flexibility and most vendors have moved to offer ultrathin amd 2-in-1 products to meet that demand.
“Combined with the findings that workers feel more productive in the office, and more motivated to do their best work, when upgraded to a laptop or tech gadget, it really is a no-brainer to picture what offices today should comprise of. It feels like the desktop PCs has had its day. They don’t lend well to the open-plan, flexible working offices of today, or the need for businesses to respond to today’s fast pace of working and ‘always on’ approach to business," added Kelly.
There will be some in the PC industry arguing against that conclusion, pointing to the run up to the expiration of support around Windows 7 as a reason why investment will continue across 2019.
Almost half of UK and US organisations surveyed by market research firm Censuswide are still using Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system.
The survey of 160 UK and 160 US organisations, carried out on behalf of software-defined delivery specialist Kollective, looked at the potential costs and security threats of staying on Windows 7 beyond Microsoft’s support deadline of 14 January 2020. The firm found that 17% of IT departments were unaware of the end of life deadline giving the channel plenty of customers to pitch an upgrade and migration message to.
Source: computerweekly
Industry: unified communication news
Latest Jobs
-
- Senior Presales Consultant | Managed Security Services | London
- London
- N/A
-
Senior Presales Consultant – Managed Security Services Location: London-commutable (Hybrid) A well-established cyber consultancy is seeking a Senior Presales Consultant to drive growth across its managed security services / advisory portfolio. This hybrid role bridges commercial and technical expertise supporting solution design, shaping customer proposals, and guiding conversations from scoping through to delivery. Key experience: Background in managed security services, including SOC operations and threat detection Strong knowledge of cloud and on-prem security tooling (SIEM, EDR, IAM) Penetration testing Proven ability to translate technical concepts into clear business value Confident in customer-facing engagements and pre-sales delivery Experience contributing to bids, proposals, and RFI/RFP responses To find out more contact me on 07884666351 Visa sponsorship is unfortunately not available for this role.
-
- Senior SOC Engineer - Microsoft | Splunk. Permanent. London
- London
- N/A
-
Senior SOC Engineer – Hybrid London Type: Full-Time A well-established cyber security provider is seeking a Senior SOC Engineer to strengthen its managed services function. This role is ideal for someone with a strong operational background in SIEM and EDR tools who can confidently lead customer onboarding, fine-tune detection strategies, and act as a senior point of contact for technical escalations. You will need to be SC clearable. Bonus points if you have SC clearance currently. You will be responsible for ensuring smooth integration of new clients into the service, optimising alerting capabilities and delivering meaningful outcomes during investigations. This is a hands-on position, working closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to maintain robust security operations across multiple environments. Prior experience in a cyber-focused MSP or MSSP Strong hands-on capability with platforms such as Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Endpoint, or similar Proficiency in scripting and query languages such as KQL or PowerShell Knowledge of detection logic, investigation workflows, and cloud-based infrastructure Confident communicator with strong documentation and reporting skills Apply today for more information.