In less than three years, Netbooks have been rapidly evolving as category of small, light and inexpensive laptop computers and winning over consumer hearts. However, netbooks have not impressed the enterprise segment as many consumer products like iPhone does.

But, can enterprises adopt the netbook for its usage or will they remain a consumer-only product? Here, the feature discusses various reasons, why netbooks should be considered for enterprise use.

Netbooks are characterized by small display, power saving processors and lack of internal CD or DVD optical drives. They are very light and provide long battery life, therefore people are now opting for such devices which are handy, cheap and loaded with necessary capabilities. Recently, after the announcement from Microsoft has announced Windows 7 Starter edition especially for the netbook segment, the scene has changed.

Windows 7 Starter

Windows 7 starter edition lacks the Windows Aero theme and would not be available in a 64-bit variant. It also imposes a restriction on all users and will allow three simultaneous applications. However, Microsoft stresses that Windows 7 will run perfectly fine on netbooks.

Now various analysts predict that new netbooks with new operating system will certainly target the enterprise segment. Also, it is assumed that the new netbooks with Windows 7 will only costs $15 more than the netbooks with Windows XP. Besides pricing, other reasons for its success in the enterprise segment could be support for Wi-Fi and 3G wireless broadband.

Benefits of Netbooks over traditional laptops and PCs

1.    Netbooks generally have 8.9-inch to 10.2-inch diagonal screens, which makes them smaller and lighter than their peers. It increases portability as the devices can even fit in briefcases, and went unnoticed. Despite its small size, many models boast battery life of five or more hours, due to the presence of Intel Atom processor.

2.    Many models cost less than $400, therefore netbooks are less expensive than the standard enterprise laptop. Hence, it seems that the enterprise sector can bear $15 extra cost for netbooks with Windows 7 cheerfully. But, if the consumers want higher version of Windows 7, better graphics and more features then they have to pay the price accordingly.

3.    The people who want easy access to apps and data while on move, netbooks are made for them. All netbooks in the market today support Wi-Fi wireless networking and 3G network.

4.    Enterprise-level management and security: Various security software providers assured that their software will support the netbooks as similar to other PCs, without any changes. However, the Atom processor does not have the management features of Intel’s vPRO technology, but if the netbook has an enterprise operating system, the security vendors have no problems.

Some constraints

Netbooks generally have low RAM and storage, which limits its usage for applications those demands powerful processor and more RAM. Sources suggest that without TPM (Trusted Platform Module) successful netbook deployments in the enterprises are unlikely, as it is a secure crypto-processor added to enterprise class laptops by many manufacturers. Also, the installation of TPM will increase the cost of the netbooks.

Conclusion

According to latest figures, netbooks are moving toward 5% of the market now and will attain double digit figure soon. Consumers love netbooks, and analysts encourage enterprise IT departments to accept a growing number of products first adopted by consumers. Also, with the introduction of new operating system from the software giant will certainly ignore the IT guidelines of enterprise sector and they will adopt the netbooks for their usage.