Samsung sees Windows 8 and WP8 as a great business opportunity

Samsung UK vice president of IT, Graham Long, told V3.co.uk that the arrival of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 was an opportunity for the Korean company to finally offer a full portfolio of devices to business customers.

"The launch of Windows 8 really provides us with that opportunity where we will have everything from a smartphone through to a tablet through the PC through to the all-in-one," Long told V3.

"For us it provides a unique opportunity at the time of launch to go out to the market and showcase everything we have that’s available."

Long said despite the later arrival of the products Microsoft’s strength in the business market has left IT professionals open to the idea of Windows-powered smartphones and tablets.

"In discussions we’ve had with IT directors and chief information officers we’ve been able to tell them we’ll be able to provide a smartphone, a tablet, a PC and an all-in-one utilising the IT they’ve built their business on for the last 25 years," Long told V3.

"What we’re seeing with the launch of Windows 8 is, from a computing and smartphone perspective, the ability to move into that space and have a competitive advantage."

Samsung may be on to something.  A recent ThinkEquity survey of 100 US-based IT managers, including CIOs, technology vice presidents and IT directors, from a variety of industries, found nearly half of IT managers said that they plan to standardize their company’s mobile platform on devices running Microsoft operating systems, including smartphone OSes Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8 and tablet OS Windows RT,

The number is up 4% to 48% from a similar survey 3 months ago, while Android, Samsung’s traditional strong point, has dropped from 11% to 8%.

Samsung will be offering a raft of Windows 8 PCs and hybrids, and also at least one Windows Phone 8 handset, the Samsung ATIV S, with a low-end model also rumoured.

Via V3.co.uk