ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

Is enterprise ready to embrace mobile? IT professional and company association CompTIA recently asked this question at the annual EMEA Member Conference, with a session discussing the growing (in both size and importance) role of mobile devices in enterprise.

After all, 90% of the 1 billion internet-enabled devices sold in Europe are mobile devices.

Starting off the session was GfK group director and market researcher Carl West, who says the traditional PC business has reached saturation point-- and mobile devices, together with the cloud, are reinvigorating the market, kicking off the replacement cycle and "giving us something to talk about."

West states "mobility and the mobile enterprise is not about hardware but is instead about implementation and best practice.”

Next to speak was Dimension Data CTO Neal Louw, who described mobile enterprise not as an evolution, but a revolution rapidly changing a landscape IT departments are struggling to keep up with.

His biggest concern is security-- a concern that is only getting bigger, as more employees bring their devices to their workplaces. Louw asked whether IT departments have a "bring your own" policy. If not, they are "already behind the curve."

The industry needs to address the growing complexity behind mobile enterprise, Louw continued.

RIM platform product marketing director Anthony Payne also talked about mobile enterprise, describing it as both a challenge and an opportunity for both vendors and IT departments. Payne points out we are living in a multi-platform world, and thus vendors and resellers need to tailor solutions to their customers-- the platform is not as important as "enabling" the user in question.

Moderator Bob Snyder, Channel Media Europe editor-in-chief, summed up the session by saying today the IT business is becoming the mobile business-- and mobile is driving the cloud by enabling computing anywhere, anytime, on any device, for better or worse.

Watch CompTIA EMEA 2011: The Mobile Enterprise

Lenovo claims the IdeaCentre Q180 is one of the smallest HTPCs out there-- with a casing just 22mm thick packing a 2.13GHz Intel Atom dual-core processor, up to 4GB DDR3 RAM and either a 750GB HDD or 128GB SSD for storage.

A Radeon HD 6450A graphics card handles 1080p video output, with Blu-ray drive, 7.1 channel surround sound and DirectX 11 support. Video connections come through VGA and HDMi, as well as S/PDIF for HDTVs and sound systems.

A VESA mount allows one to fit the PC anywhere in the home, and it is also compatible with the Lenovo wireless handheld keyboard range via Bluetooth and wifi connections.

Go Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180

Austrian CE retailer Niedermeyer teams up with German internet and mail order company Cyberport in a collaboration the two companies say combines "the best of retail stores and online trading."

The retailers now allow customers to shop online through Cyberport's website before picking up purchases at a Niedermeyer outlet.

Cyberport is trialling the system with 9 Niedermeyer pick-up points (including Niedermeyer's Vienna HQ), with plans to expand the service across all of Austria in 2012.

The German-Austrian collaboration will make best use of both companies' "genetic code," according to Niedermeyer CEO Werner Weber. Niedermeyer employees will also receive training on the Cyberport product range, and will be showing customers how to make use of their purchases.

Go Cyberport and Niedermeyer Start Cooperation in Austria

Best Buy's UK saga comes to a complete close-- Best Buy is pulling out of the UK after only 2 years in the British retail scene, with the closing date set on 15th January 2012.

The announcement comes in the shape of an "Open Letter" signed by Best Buy UK MD Steve Jensen. Reports of Best Buy's closing were already out earlier this month.

The closing will not only affect all 11 brick and mortar Best Buy stores-- the company's UK website will also go out of service.

Now all Best Buy stores are operating a clearance sale, as the retailer seeks to clear out remaining inventory.

This is not the first exit from an international market for the biggest CE retailer in the world this year-- in February it closed all 9 Best Buy-branded stores in China (in order to expand the more profitable Five Star-branded domestic chain) before exiting Turkey after a 2-store trial.

Now all European retailers can breathe a sigh of relief while the British retail market prepares to receive a rush of retail applicants...

Go An Open Letter From Best Buy

Go Bye, Bye, BEST BUY: Closing UK Stores