Cisco Cius and Avaya Flare Should Target Health Care Providers
Both Cisco and Avaya have recently unveiled flat-screen tablet devices to be used in enterprise environments. The problem is that the cost of the tablets are considerably higher than consumer based tablets that run the same Android operating system. Competing consumer devices that also run Android include the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Tab as well as upcoming models from LG and Motorola.
While consumer tablets are in the price range of $500-$800, the Cisco Cius is said to start at around $1000. Knowing Cisco, there will be hefty licensing costs involved with integrating the device with Cisco's Unified Communications Servers which are Cisco's IPT and video appliances found in many corporate environments.
The Avaya Flare also has a high starting price point that is said to be in the $1700 dollar range. In the end, it looks like the Cisco and Avaya tablets will cost two to three times the cost of consumer devices. If that is the case, where is the added value for use within the enterprise?
This is a very good question. At this point, I have to say, there are probably only a few niche enterprise markets that would immediately be interested. One of those markets would be the health care industry. The ability to have a small, wireless device that can stream and view HD video in real-time will be extremely beneficial for doctors, nurses in situations when a doctor is immediately needed but not physically present.
In addition, Cisco and Avaya should focus on integrating health care applications such as Epic and hardware integrations with medical devices such as Philips Radiology systems. The key here is providing value-added integration with current health care systems.
Both Cisco and Avaya have strong presence within large medical centers so this is a very logical place to begin marketing. If they can successfully leverage existing voice and video implementations to sell tablets to medical staff, that would be a big first step toward other markets adopting the tablets.
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