Dec 7, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; General view of Microsoft Surface on the sidelines during an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Late last week the Arizona Cardinals announced that they will be leaving behind the traditional paper playbook, and will instead have personnel within the organization utilize Microsoft devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet. The NFL recently signed a five-year $400 million deal with Microsoft, which is why the staff of all organizations around the league have been provided with products such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. The tablet allows player and coaches to review film and play calls while on the field. But now the Tablet is proving to be a lucrative asset off the field as well.
Steve Keim, General Manager of the Cardinals, is an avid believer of the Surface Pro’s abilities and stated in an article by Biz Tech Magazine, that the device is an asset to the Cardinals Organization. Furthermore, the many functions of the Surface Pro include operations such as Microsoft Office Apps, which include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and even PowerPoint. Keim says that he has utilized Microsoft Excel frequently, especially when it involves making decisions with the team’s salary cap.
Mark Feller, Vice President of Technology for the Arizona Cardinals, has also been a supporter of the Tablet. A year has passed since they started using the Surface Pro and they have deployed 35 more tablets into the organization to give to staff members such as fitness and medical trainers, IT staff, video personnel, and even customer service representatives. And to a greater extent the Cardinals have also deployed 20 Surface Pro’s amongst Team Scouts and Strategists as well.
Feller adds, “We want to make sure our staff has the best tools, overall we’re looking less at ROI and more at performance and efficiencies for the staff.” Furthermore, the Cardinals feels that the Surface Pro 3’s 12-inch screen, Intel Core i7 chip, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and 512GB of SSD RAM is a reliable, dynamic, and mobile technological option for the team’s front office and roster.
