Surface: the best device for financial services professionals
All around the world, banks, insurance companies, wealth management firms and other financial services institutions are digitizing their business models and adopting innovative new technologies to meet customer demand.
To keep pace with this digitization, many financial services professionals are trading their desktop PCs and heavy, cumbersome laptops for lightweight, portable tablets so they can work productively and securely wherever they are. However, finding the right device to meet their needs can be difficult. Not all tablets have the processing power and storage capabilities to support the computationally intensive formulas, data analytics and apps that financial services professionals work with every day.
Two of the most common choices are Microsoft Surface Pro and Apple iPad Pro. To find out which is best for on-the-go financial services professionals, Prowess Consulting tested both in scenarios that mimicked day-to-day tasks. They included reviewing investments with customers, live modelling data, and running complex calculations.
Results were conclusive: The Surface Pro outperformed the iPad Pro in most tests.
According to Prowess Consulting, the Surface Pro allows users to work in multiple apps and programs while simultaneously streaming live data feeds in the background. The device also enables them to process, visualize and correlate data more quickly, and with fewer steps, than on the Apple iPad Pro. Not only can Surface Pro users run complex queries in Microsoft Excel three times faster than iPad Pro users, but it also takes them 76% less time to generate and update a report in Microsoft Power BI, and 57% less time to prepare a presentation using multiple apps. Plus, it takes 58% less time to convert data into an image or a graph.
This is because the common financial services apps and tools – such as Microsoft Office 365, Excel, Dynamics 365 for Financials and Power BI – are optimized to work with Intel hardware running on the Surface Pro’s Windows 10 operating system. Plus, the Surface Pro offers three different Intel Core processor options and can support between 4GB and 16GB of RAM.
In contrast, the iPad Pro has an operating system that is unable to run apps in the background, or support full versions of the main financial services apps. This means it offers limited capabilities for accessing and manipulating data. In addition, the device only has one processor option and supports 4GB of RAM.
The Surface Pro excelled in terms of ergonomics too. Its adjustable kickstand can recline up to 120 degrees, while the Surface Pro Type Cover offers good haptic (touch) feedback when typing, as well as backlit keys for better visibility, a precision-pointer touchpad, and a fingerprint ID function. The Surface Dock makes it easy for users to instantly transform the device into a desktop with multiple monitors, so they can use different programs on separate screens. Other useful features include the Microsoft Mouse, a USB port for peripheral devices or third-party keyboards, and the Microsoft Surface Pen, which provides seamless lag-free input. The pen also has a top-mounted eraser that can open OneNote, take screenshots, or access Cortana.
In contrast, iPad Pro users must purchase the Apple Pencil separately and can only extend their screen by connecting their device to a monitor via third-party software or an Apple TV device, which must be on the same wireless network. Meanwhile, the Apple Smart Keyboard has a fixed tilt angle, so it can only prop up the iPad Pro in a landscape orientation. However, when it’s propping up the iPad Pro, it can’t be used for typing.
Prowess Consulting’s conclusion was clear. Microsoft’s Surface Pro offers all the content-creation capabilities of a desktop PC running Windows, as well as the content consumption abilities of any other tablet or device.
Consequently, if you’re a financial services professional who wants to go mobile, the Surface Pro will provide you with all the speed, computing power and functionality you need to excel and work productively, both inside and outside of the office.
Click here to read the full report from Prowess Consulting and see why the Microsoft Surface Pro is the best device for financial services professionals.
