Our phones may be the digital hub of our personal lives, but when it comes to the workplace, the laptop has grabbed center stage as the hub of modern productivity.
This shift was accelerated by a combination of factors: the rise of flexible work environments, the consumerization of IT, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies into everyday tasks. For IT leaders, understanding these changes is essential to deploying a PC fleet that meets employee needs while maintaining security and cost-efficiency.
Foundry reached out to its community of IT professionals and technology industry influencers to get their perspectives on how PCs are evolving in the modern workplace, why it matters, and how businesses should respond. Their insights fall into three key themes: the evolution of flexible work, the growing impact of AI on device decisions, and rising security concerns.
Flexible work has redefined the role of the PC
A common thread across all expert observations is the accelerated adoption of hybrid or flexible work environments and the ripple effects it has had on device expectations and usage patterns.
“The biggest shift has been the explosion of hybrid work,” says Gene de Libero, principal at Digital Mindshare. “Employees now seamlessly transition between office, home, and anywhere in between — no longer tethered to a single desk or location. Modern laptops with smartphone-like chips and all-day battery have turned PCs into true mobile workstations, enabling workers to maintain full productivity whether they’re in a coffee shop, on a train, or at their kitchen table.”
This mobility-first mindset is echoed by Chris Selland, partner at TechCXO, who notes a broader trend toward unified device ecosystems. “The most significant shift I’ve observed is increasingly seamless integration between PCs/laptops and personal mobile devices, creating what I call ‘device ecosystems’ rather than standalone workstations,” he says. “Professionals now expect to be able to do work on their phones and tablets remotely and transition to their laptops upon reaching the office, with files, applications, and workflows synchronized across platforms — even when that ‘office’ is also their home.”
Will Kelly, a writer focused on AI and cloud, adds that the laptop is now the centerpiece of this new digital environment. “The laptop has taken center stage as the primary hub for communication and collaboration,” he says. “With hybrid work becoming the norm, employees rely on their laptops for everything — from video calls to real-time chats and cloud apps — while smartphones now play more of a supporting role.”
These new habits are more than just changes in location; they reflect a deeper shift in how employees view their tools. “The fundamental shift isn’t just in hardware; it’s in mindset,” Kelly emphasizes. “Today’s workforce expects their laptops to deliver a seamless, secure, and fully connected experience — just like the offices of old.”
AI is driving performance demands
Expectations are also shifting about AI technologies and their impact on worker productivity.
“High-productivity employees perform significantly more machine learning [ML] and data processing work and benefit from the faster neural processing unit [NPU] laptops,” explains Isaac Sacolick, best-selling author and president of StarCIO. “Remote and mobile workers also want lighter laptops, 5G connectivity, and longer battery life. CIOs need cost-effective options for these two user types, as well as high-performing, low-maintenance, and secure options for mainstream workers.”
This segmentation reflects a broader trend toward personalization of work tools. Arsalan Khan, speaker and technology advisor, points out how AI is accelerating the need for tailored performance. “The biggest shift in PCs/laptops use over the past two to three years is the integration of AI into daily work,” he says. “Employees now use AI tools for content creation, data analysis, and decision support. Businesses are deciding whether to run AI on-device, in the cloud, on wearables, or a combination. This is driving demand for more powerful AI-optimized PCs/laptops and turning them into personalized AI productivity hubs.”
For IT buyers, this means evaluating hardware not just in terms of traditional specs such as memory and CPU but also by its ability to support AI processing, advanced collaboration, and real-time analytics — without sacrificing battery life and portability. The emerging class of AI PCs, with onboard NPUs for processing AI workloads, is gaining favor for delivering on these modern work requirements.
Security is table stakes in a mobile world
Although the rise of mobile work has brought new levels of flexibility and productivity, increased mobility also presents significant cybersecurity challenges. For IT leaders, balancing usability and protection is now more critical than ever.
“Hybrid employees require laptops with all the collaboration tools such as Zoom and Teams, along with project management software and cloud-based document sharing,” says Robert Siciliano, CEO of Safr.me. “This model requires more attention to cybersecurity tools such as VPNs [virtual private networks], password management, and multifactor authentication [MFA].”
Scott Schober, president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, has seen the risks of increased mobility up close. The freedom that flexible work models offer “boosts productivity and flexibility, [but] it also expands the attack surface for cybersecurity threats,” he says. Although Schober has personally adopted more security-conscious tools such as a VPN and MFA, he says he’s “seen firsthand how many employees neglect these safeguards, increasing the risk of phishing attacks, credential theft, and unsecured data transfers.”
Schober warns that convenience cannot come at the cost of protection. “As devices become more mobile, security policies have to evolve just as quickly — otherwise, convenience can become a liability.”
These insights suggest that security needs to be embedded into every stage of device deployment and user training. IT buyers should prioritize laptops that support “chip to cloud” security, including advanced encryption, biometric authentication, and seamless security updates.
Rethinking the laptop as a strategic asset
For IT leaders, these perspectives deliver a clear message: The laptop has become the nerve center of a decentralized, always-on workforce. Employees expect devices that are mobile yet powerful, secure yet seamless, and personalized for their specific workflows.
Meeting these expectations requires a shift in IT strategy — from viewing laptops as commodity hardware to treating them as strategic assets that shape employee satisfaction, productivity, and security. As the digital workplace continues to evolve, the choices IT leaders make today will directly influence how well their teams perform tomorrow.
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Sponsored by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.