Kathy Gibson is at the Mustek Roadshow in Kempton Park – Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, coined the mission statement: empower every person on the planet to achieve more.
Microsoft has a world view that focuses on people-centred experiences; artificial intelligence and ubiquitous computing, explains John Press, Mustek account manager at Microsoft.
This is enabled through the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge.
On the government level there is so much we can influence and change with these three pillars.
The intelligent cloud is key to digital transformation. “For me, this is a lot simpler than many people make it out to be,” Press says.
He believes it is about empowering employees, engaging customers, optimising operations and transforming products.
IT offers a number of transformational opportunities for government, he adds.
One of the key themes is security, with 14% of all cyberattacks taking place on government agencies – and the average cost per incident in $4-million.
Productivity is almost equally important. Digital transformation could drive a 30% increase in employee engagement ni public organisations. IN fact, 96,7-million federal hours in the US can be saved with AI and automation.
Globalisation and efficiency are also key themes, which can help to make government departments more effective, and save money.
Effective government agencies embrace digital transformation, to increase employee engagement, elevate operational efficiency and improve citizen satisfaction.
Press points out that the modern workplace in government is characterised by connected experiences, intelligent security and integrated workflows that are built with accessibility in mind.
As technology shifts, we will see that decision-makers will soon shift from Baby Boomers and Generation X to Millennials and Generation X; the workplace will move from desks in office to global employees; the data environment will go from on-premise to cloud and SaaS; company values are shifting form stability, efficiency and structure to flexibility, innovation and impact. And technology is moving at rate of knots, Press says, to a more intelligent structure.
Windows 7 is now 10 years old – and about 1-billion people have used it in that time. “The bad news is that it is the end of that era. Windows 7 went end-of-support on 14 January.”
This is an opportunity for resellers, Press points out. Windows 10 and devices that run Windows 10 will offer a much better, more efficient and more secure experience for users.
Windows 10 Pro lets users work even smarter, with powerful protections, ease of use, simple and flexible management. Plus, the best devices run Windows 10, Press adds.
When it comes to protection, Windows 10 is the more secure Windows ever, he adds, In fact, the security events requiting IT remediation are reduced by one-third.
Shifting to new devices running Windows 10 give users an estimated 15% improvement in IT efficiency that could save up to $27 700.00 per year, Press says.
These new devices offer a great return on investment in every shape, size and specification – and designed for any workstyle.
The take-up of Windows 10 has been good, he adds, and more than 900-million users are now running the operating system.
On a local level, Microsoft is prioritising the modernisation of devices. “We also want to make sure we are expanding the total addressable market,” Press says. “And we are looking to new selling motions, for instance reaching SMBs through retail or device as a service.”
The modern PC shows the following attributes: a far quicker start-up; the ability to multi-task; a substantially increased battery life; built-in protection; and always uo-to-date safeguards.
From a design point of view there are many form factor options; from tablets to notebooks, desktops, workstations, ruggedized devices and all-in-ones.
From an experiential point of view, there is better application of touch, ink, gesture and voice, Biometrics adds simplicity and security.
From an overall global shipment point of view, South Africa is one of the few countries showing growth. Press says Microsoft sees the PC addressable market at about 2-million units now, driven mostly by detachables and ultra-slims.
“It is clear where the growth is coming from: it is the modern form factors,” he says.
Microsoft is now targeting first-line workers at a low cost that includes an entry-level Windows !0 Pro device coupled with Office 365 Business Essentials.