Why Surface works for me
My name is Christian Wallace, I am a research analyst for Emancipation Capital and live in Jersey City, New Jersey. The Surface Pro 3 has been part of my life for the last several months and it has far exceeded my expectations of both compute power and portability. As a tech analyst I am typically evaluating technologies for stock investment purposes only, but after getting my hands on the new Surface I knew it would be an effective business tool that would also be great for personal use.
Emancipation Capital is a value focused hedge fund based in New York City that invests solely in technology businesses. We look at a wide variety of companies and use many data intensive propriety Excel models, as well as several CPU heavy financial applications. Network and data security is also a top priority for us. Desktop computers do a great job of handling our in-office needs, but traveling has always been an issue. We had secure VPN remote access into our domain already, but finding a truly portable machine that could run full desktop versions of our tools on the road was an issue.
I was surprised to see how powerful the specs were on the Surface Pro 3. It had a stronger processor than my desktop PC and just as much memory. The speed of the solid state drive was the bonus that I wasn’t expecting. My Surface instantly turns on and even heavy applications load faster than on my desktop. Thomson Reuters Eikon is the most important application that I use. It provides my market data, portfolio updates and live P&L. The Surface doesn’t flinch at handling the workload. It runs perfectly, even with multiple Excel models streaming quotes, Outlook and OneNote up and my Redi execution terminal open.
Another surprise was how well the docking station transformed a tablet sized device into a desktop PC with a large screen monitor and mouse connected. It’s powerful and there is no lag, which I have experienced with other devices.
Now when I go to a conference or due diligence trips, I am no longer simply using OneNote and email, I have my full suite of applications running simultaneously. On top of that, with the Surface Pen I can take hand written notes while standing and talking to someone without having to awkwardly type on the screen or use a keyboard. The combined convenience of its form factor and ability it gives me to work more fully out of the office has without a doubt made me a more efficient employee.
