Business Users in the Middle East see 'clear competitive advantage' in mobile computing

72 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Lebanon believe that mobile computing provides a competitive advantage for their company, with 78 percent also saying that mobile working increases their productivity.

"Business was the first to recognize the benefits of mobile computing," says Samir Al-Schamma, Intel's general manager in the GCC. "With the arrival of the Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology two years ago, users were able to benefit from added mobility through lighter, easier to carry notebook computers, longer battery life, the ability to connect wirelessly, and outstanding mobile performance; to help them remain productive when they are on the road. It's clear from the findings of this survey that mobile computing is having a significant impact on the way that business operates in the region."

The survey was carried out by Paradigm Research and Strategic Planning on behalf of Intel across Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the UAE, to coincide with the two year anniversary of the Intel Centrino mobile technology, which represents Intel's best technologies for laptops. More than just a processor, it features fully integrated wireless LAN+ capability and delivers outstanding mobile performance while enabling great battery life in lighter, easier-to-carry laptop PCs.** These benefits were clearly felt by users, with 57 percent of respondents saying that using a laptop provides the freedom and flexibility to work wherever convenient. Saving time was also seen as a key benefit by 42 percent of respondents with two additional areas - better control of work (32 percent) and faster task completion (29 percent) cited as important additional factors in ensuring that business users are as productive as possible.

The issue of competitive advantage was a particularly striking feature of the survey, as indicated by the finding above that more than three quarters of respondents see it as a key benefit for them and their organizations in the region. The major reason for this identified by respondents (59 percent) is that they are able to access information 24x7. Another important benefit (45 percent of respondents) is the ability to capture information in real time at the point of business activity.

"It is obvious that more and more business people in the Middle East need to be mobile in order to compete in the market" says Samir Al Schamma. "When 79 percent of respondents to a survey such as this say that it is either 'critical' or at the very least 'important' to be connected to their IT system when working out of the office you know that we are in the midst of a transformation in working practices."

Accessing emails was seen as the top benefit (80 percent), with work related applications listed as the second benefit of using a laptop (76 percent), and Internet access coming in as the 3rd most popular use of notebook PCs, according to 68 percent of respondents.

The benefits of mobile computing are not just confined to work, according to the survey. A whopping 94 percent of respondents believe that having a laptop provides them with the flexibility to work just as easily at home and helps them to achieve a good work/life balance.

"Clearly people in the Middle East welcome the convenience and flexibility of being able to work when and where necessary," added Al-Schamma. "Whether it's at home or in public hot spot locations, business in the Middle East today is being conducted in a multitude of locations outside offices and office cubicles."