( BW)(MA-GIGA-INFORMATION)(GIGX) Giga Information Group Finds It's Too Soon to Adopt a Personal Digital Assistant Standard; Despite Rapid Adoption in the Workplace, PDAs Not Yet an Enterprise Solution
Business/Technology Editors
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000--Analysts at Giga Information Group (NASDAQ:GIGX) state that it's too soon for corporate environments to adopt any single personal digital assistant (PDA) platform as a technology standard. While some classes of highly mobile individuals, such as sales professionals, can benefit from PDAs, Giga advises that it is hard to justify the costs to most enterprises for supporting the majority of casual users.
Support and Administration Concerns Delay Endorsement of PDA Usage
For example: "While the Palm is a viable technology and getting more robust all the time, it is presently too far ahead of the curve for most mainstream enterprises. And at this point, when the total cost of management is considered, it is definitely an expensive optional solution rather than a `must-have' connectivity device," new Giga research shows. "Despite all the hype, it should be kept in mind that fewer than 10 million Palms are in use today."
The considerable cost, management and network fine-tuning necessary to link PDAs into existing Microsoft server operating system environments will most likely be viewed as an optional project with a high cost that corporations cannot readily justify. Equally crucial, IT staffs will be hard pressed to support or maintain large portions of their end-user population at this time. In addition, despite recent technology advances, third-party utilities for server synchronization are functionally limited and do not deliver seamless integration.
Until now, many organizations have been reluctant to formally adopt PDA usage because of the concerns about accepting responsibility for support and administration. For example, HotSync Server, a utility for server synchronization recently launched by Palm, may make the lives of individual owners somewhat simpler, but it doesn't do enough yet to settle enterprise concerns.
Future Will Bring Widespread Adoption of PDAs
Despite its current concerns, Giga expects the connectivity options, manageability and integration to improve, and the price tags to decline as part of the natural product maturation cycle within the next 12 to 18 months. Enterprises should recognize that during this time they need to begin planning for widespread adoption of PDAs. Without a centralized effort to inventory and manage devices, organizations will have little idea of the cost or benefits of PDAs in the enterprise.
About Giga Information Group
Giga Information Group (NASDAQ:GIGX) provides objective research, advice and continuous coaching on technology for e-Business. Giga's integrated suite of offerings helps clients make strategic decisions about the technologies, people and processes needed to excel in the new digital economy. Emphasizing close interaction between analysts and clients, Giga delivers support with the speed and scope necessary for e-Business.
Giga began providing services in April 1996 and now has a global client base encompassing more than 1,200 organizations and over 120,000 licensed users, making it the fastest growing company in the IT advisory industry's history. Its enterprise clients include companies that use, sell and invest in technology.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Giga has 10 other offices covering the Americas and Europe. Giga is also represented by distributors in other areas of the world. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.gigaweb.com. The Company's logo with the name Giga Information Group is a registered trademark of Giga Information Group, Inc.
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