Report predicts post-PC era for agency IT

Aileen Black, vice president of federal at IT virtualization company VMware, told In Depth with Francis Rose she thinks agencies are well into the mobile future...

Mobile computing and devices — think iPads, Androids and more — have made inroads at federal agencies.

But is it time to declare the post-PC era just yet?

Aileen Black, vice president of federal at IT virtualization company VMware, told In Depth with Francis Rose she thinks agencies are well into the mobile future.

“Today, whether it be in our schools or whether it be in our government agencies, people expect the ability to be able to get the information they need and access anytime, anyplace, anywhere,” Black said. “And mobile devices are the perfect way to provide that capability.”

Along with two other companies, Carahsoft and MeriTalk, VMware surveyed more than 150 agency chief information officers and IT managers for a report, “Mobile Power Government: Driving Increasingly Productive, Efficient Agencies.”

The mobile push is not only something that needs to be embraced, Black said, but a “storm coming on quickly.”

That storm is driven in part by a culture-shift at agencies as increasing numbers of mobile-savvy, younger employees come on board as well as by a need to find cost-savings, Black said.

“Why would we as a taxpayer want to provide (some employees) with a PC that’s connected to a desk when we can provide a much more productive, lower-cost solution with a tablet,” she added.

But the post-PC era isn’t only about simply replacing the desktop with another device.

“It doesn’t mean you just have your smartphone, your Android or your iPhone,” she said. “It means that you can choose the device that’s required for what your needs are.”

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