How SMBs can invest in the right technology for its workforce without burning a hole

By 2025, 75 percent of the global workforce will be millenials. Businesses across verticals, geographies and sizes are already reporting that millenials and Gen Z make up more than half of their workforce. In other words, it means that businesses are increasingly working with a generation that grew up with technology and connecting online.

Why businesses must tune in to the needs of the millennial and GenZ workers

This shift in the employee demographic, coupled with advancements in technology, is creating a fundamental shift in employee expectations. They expect an office environment that matches their aspirations with flexibility to work remotely. They expect to be empowered with technology that is mobile, social and collaborative.

Providing this tech-enabled work environment is enabling some of the most successful businesses to attract top talent and also get the most from them. And so, it is becoming critical for business, especially small and medium business (SMBs), to invest in technology that aligns with the needs of the modern workforce.

Unless they do so, businesses could see a dip in employee experience. In fact, a recent industry research conducted by Forrester Consulting found that nearly 40 percent of employees working in SMBs across the globe were dissatisfied with their work environments. A key contributing factor to the dissatisfaction was the mismatch in the employees’ expectations w.r.t. access to technology. It revealed that 71 percent of the participants were compelled to use desktops and a staggering 74 percent of SMB employee respondents do not have access to cloud-based tools, nor have the flexibility to choose technologies that are most suited for their tasks.

Investing in technology that empowers

That said, choosing technology that fits into the organisation's budget and needs, while also enabling employees to be their productive best, is no easy job. Even for something as simple as a laptop. A wrong pick can cause frustration as much for the employee as for the organisation. And, the countless options in the market only add to the confusion.

So what must businesses look for when they are investing in technology? Firstly, the technology should enable quicker connections for instant productivity and second, it should come with mobility features for flexible work.

But that’s not all, Millenials and Gen Z are so connected in their personal lives that anything less at work feels dissatisfactory. Technology has enabled them to live more efficiently and more rewardingly. So, businesses must understand that they must now let them work their way.

At the outset, it might look challenging to find smart technology that empowers both the workforce and the organisation alike. This is where Lenovo’s ThinkBook Series stands apart. Backed by customer research, ThinkBook is specially designed for the SMBs which had resorted to buying consumer laptops for perceived design and price advantages but had to rationalise on the performance needs. ThinkBook builds on Lenovo ThinkPad’s best-in-class market winning features with practically no trade-offs. It comes with features that businesses and their employees look out for in a productivity machine. In addition, the laptop blends robust SMB security with an undeniable style.

Launched in November 2019 in India, these business-grade laptops come with some winning features:

Robust and stylish

A couple of years ago, a business laptop had a rugged look and feel and was built with a single-minded aim - to endure countless hours of keying and roughed usage. The aesthetic appeal didn’t rank high. However, that is changing. Wrapped in aluminium and magnesium metals in a mineral grey finish, the ThinkBook is not only attractive but also particularly sleek. The laptop has also passed multiple quality and reliability tests such as anti-spill protection for up to 60cc of water, extreme temperatures and vibrations. Its zinc-alloy hinge has been designed to endure 25,000 open-and-close cycles while also making it resistant to corrosion.

Work smarter

The laptops in the ThinkBook series are packed with features that make it faster and easier to focus on your business. Users can boot up and log in with a simple touch, use hot keys to answer or hang up when making conference calls and even use Cortana with voice recognition to tell devices to wake up.

Designed for performance

The narrow bezel display on the ThinkBook laptop is both functional and attractive. The FHD display delivers a wide-angle viewing experience and, with hinges that open 180 degrees, it’s easy to collaborate and share. In addition, the laptops in the series weigh as low as 1.5kgs, going up to a max of 1.8kgs.

More secure

The ThinkBook comes with built-in security features that protect business-critical info. The default discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) encrypts data and works in conjunction with Windows 10 security features. A physical camera cover blocks the lens, ensuring that the users are only seen when you want to be. A fingerprint reader is integrated with the power button, so a simple touch logs the user in and boots up the system immediately.

Engineered for business

The laptops come with a modern standby feature that wakes the laptop in less than 0.5 seconds, and even allows you to download emails and listen to music while the laptop is sleeping. Its fingerprint reader logs in and turns on the screen in a single touch— just like a phone. The rapid-charging technology keeps the laptop unplugged when you’re on the go.

Awesome entertainment features

Built with Dolby Audio™Harman speakers and Dolby Vision™ technology, the sound and the images are crisp, refined and amazingly accurate.

For the Gen Next

The laptops in the ThinkBook series have been designed keeping in mind the needs of the Millennial and GenZ workforce. It brings smartphone connectivity and experience to business laptops. The device can download emails, receive Skype call alerts, and get Windows app updates – even with the lid closed.

Built-in self-management features

In addition to business-grade support, ThinkBooks also come with built-in self-management features, especially useful for smaller companies and professionals who work alone without dedicated onsite support teams. Among these, the preloaded Lenovo Vantage software offers tools for preventive hardware diagnostics, personalised hardware settings and auto-install of critical updates.

Enhanced performance

Performance and battery life go hand-in-hand. Users can expect to go about a full workday of productivity tasks without needing a charge. In addition, the RAM and SSD can be upgraded to keep the laptop relevant longer in the future. For those who need some extra graphics power, the ThinkBook 14s is available with a dedicated AMD Radeon 540X GPU.

Users speak

Be it an employee working in an SMB or a CEO running a home office-based office, all of them point out that Lenovo ThinkBook Series has been built for productivity, without the expensive cost. Many say that in addition to catching up on emails, hosting a video conference, editing a video project, the laptops in the series also handle software like CAD and Revit with ease. They say USB-C enables them to connect with external mobile monitors with ease and works flawlessly. In addition, the laptop also enables the occasional gamer to play a game of Starcraft 2 or Diablo.

To sum up, the laptops in the ThinkBook series are anything but a professional’s dream machine packaging performance, durability and style with practically no trade offs.

It’s time to add some panache to life at work with the ThinkBook. Learn more.