Smarter devices give Samsung business relevance

Tony Cripps, Ovum principal analyst.

AUSTRALIA: “Samsung’s latest smart device announcements promise even greater success for the Korean manufacturer at the ultra-competitive top end of the market, but its new-found interest in targeting those devices at the enterprise market is deserving of a closer look.

“Samsung’s recent successes in the smartphone and tablet categories – with over 10 million Galaxy S smartphones and over 2 million Galaxy Tabs (the original 7-inch display version) sold at the last reckoning – have already marked the company out as the clearest threat to Apple at the high end of the smart device market, at least for consumers.

“The latest Galaxy S II smartphone and large form factor Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet look set to capitalize on that momentum with further refinements to Samsung’s smart device blueprint – an Android-powered, Apple-esque user experience on powerful hardware with considerable media compatibility.

“However, Samsung has also been mindful of the growing opportunity for smart, “lite OS” devices in the business market following the ongoing success of RIM and, more pointedly, in light of Apple’s increasingly strong overtures towards this arena. To that end, the company’s newly announced portfolio of business apps and services to accompany its latest devices looks well thought out, with Microsoft, SAP/Sybase, Citrix, and Cisco leading the way and support from other enterprise “big guns” set to follow in due course.

“We’re pleased to see Samsung prioritising its business offerings around integration with key apps and the need to manage smart devices in the context of existing business systems – the lack of such features still has the power to dissuade CIOs and IT managers from rolling out such technologies. Nevertheless, the company’s lack of pedigree in the enterprise mobility sector will necessitate considerable marketing effort and continuing R&D spend if it is to successfully challenge the competition here.”