HTC Business offers enterprise smartphone support

Manufacturer looking to capitalise on enterprise demand for high-end devices

HTC has launched a business division aimed at providing enterprises with advice, support and resources about HTC smartphones and mobile platforms.

HTC Business showcases the firm's latest high-end handsets running on the Google Android and Windows Phone 7 platforms.

A technical support team will help businesses set up and integrate HTC devices into back-end IT systems through a dedicated technical support service, the firm said.

A business training team, meanwhile, can support organisations at the time of rollout to ensure a successful implementation and reduce the number of internal support calls.

HTC Business customers will be able to test Android and Windows Phone 7 handsets through a loan scheme to ensure that the devices meet IT and user needs before investing, the manufacturer added.

The HTC brand is gaining traction with consumers, but the firm's heritage lies in the business market. HTC brought the first Windows Phone-based smartphone to market in 2002.

"We strongly believe that the latest generation of smartphones has finally reached a stage where we can truly speak of enabling mobile working and productivity at a reduced cost," said Jon French, executive director for HTC UK, Ireland and South Africa.

"Innovation and agility are two avenues through which small- and medium-sized businesses in the UK are looking to beat the current economic pressures."

The manufacturer is likely to invest heavily in HTC Business, French added.

HTC needs such a service in order to break into the enterprise sector and differentiate itself from other manufacturers of high-end devices, Francisco Jeronimo, research manager for European mobile devices at IDC, told V3.co.uk.

"Enterprises usually go for the most expensive high-end devices, so it is not surprising that HTC is addressing this area. Partnering with Google and Mic rosoft could also help the firm to provide an alternative to services like BlackBerry Enterprise Server," he said.

"The service will be targeting SMBs as they have more flexibility over which devices and operating systems they can adopt, whereas larger firms cannot switch operating systems overnight and many are not ready for the consumer-oriented Android and Windows Phone 7 platforms."

The BlackBerry platform remains very popular in the enterprise sector, but as HTC adds more services and support, business users will be attracted to its devices, Jeronimo believes.

The Android powered HTC Desire HD and HTC HD7 running on Windows Phone 7 are amongst the devices on offer.