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Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning

By Steve Weissman posted 08-25-2011 09:38

  

Got people on the road who need ready access to your organizational information? Need to capture information from the field on a device that is smarter and more multifunctional than a netbook but for which a notebook is overkill? Well, then, ol’ Doc Weissman has just the thing: take two of these tablets and call me in the morning!

Yes, the tablet seems to be the prescription for a great many information management ailments these days, and while the hype-o-meter is clanging away, the truth is that these clever contraptions really can be a worthwhile prescription.

Mobile ECM has been on the radar for a good many years now, and it’s progressed from simply being able to view content on a tiny smartphone screen to actually engaging with it in something resembling the “usual” way on a tablet that has a display worthy of the name. This isn’t the real game changer here, though. What is, is the fact that apps are beginning to emerge that can run natively on the device, and thus obviate the need for an always-on Internet connection.

That, and the fact that tablets are big consumer items that are being brought into the workplace and thence are being embraced for organizational use. (See my musings here and here  for more on this phenomenon.)

It is true that similar capabilities have been available for years on notebooks with local copies of software installed. But it can be costly in terms of both dollars and time to acquire, install, and configure that software on each and every machine, and notebooks tend to be heavier and more expensive besides. Plus, their interface is, well, so ’Eighties.

Now, I’m not saying tablet technology is the answer to every question; it’s not. But it definitely has a role to play on today’s information management stage, and there are a sufficient number of alternatives now coming on the market to make it a good time to begin your investigation.

The doctor will see you now!



#BPM #informationmanagement #EnterpriseContentManagement #Tablets #ECM #mobility #BusinessProcessManagement
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