FD Insights Issue 4 | Page 40

Mobility & Remote Access Cash in on new opportunities helping SMBs do business wherever they need to be SMBs need mobile and remote access solutions—are you cashing in? Now is a great time to tap into opportunities helping small and midsize businesses empower their employees to do business wherever they need to be. In a recent AMI Research study, 87% of SMBs said they have mobile workers and nearly half have employees who telecommute1. According to IDC, SMBs will continue to increase investment this year in products that support mobile workers and help them be more productive2. Microsoft is committed to helping you build your business in this area, and we continue to enrich our products’ capabilities so you can help customers save money on software and free up more budget for your high-margin services. Here are three great examples of how you can take advantage of this opportunity by delivering solutions and services built on mobility and remote access technologies. 3 Key Partner Opportunities in Mobile & Remote Access Consistent experience across devices SMBs are using mobile devices at work; 25% use tablet PCs, and 86% use smartphones1. You can provide them a consistent mobile platform and help keep data more secure on a diverse, innovative assortment of Windows 8 PCs and mobile devices. Easy remote access to on-site apps 44% of SMBs have telecommuters today1. Leveraging technology in Windows Server 2012 you can offer a range of solutions, from basic RDS to full-fledged VDI. Enable remote access to on-premises applications while company data remains on the server. Mobile productivity in the cloud The cloud services market is taking off, with SMB spending projected to grow 24% per year3. Now, with Office 365, you have a great opportunity to provide customers with mobile productivity tools through a cloud-based service. Worldwide tablet shipments are expected to surpass portable PC shipments in 2013 and to outpace the entire PC market (portables and desktops combined) by 20154. — IDC