Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and flat-panel displays have been classroom staples for nearly a decade, the logical evolution of the old dry-erase board and, for those who remember, the ancient, dusty chalkboard.

These large, wall-mounted e-boards offer an interactive multimedia presentation of material that can be manipulated and annotated in real time with a stylus or a simple hand gesture. Last year, Futuresource Consulting reported that IWBs were installed in 45 percent of classrooms in the U.S. — and a whopping 90 percent of classrooms in the U.K. — a tribute to their ability to enhance the learning experience of students at nearly all grade levels.

Businesses have been slower to adopt IWBs and digital displays, but the corporate world is catching up, analysts say, making this a perfect time for IT solution providers to add these technologies to their digital-signage portfolios. The value proposition that’s made these products a winner in schools — namely, better collaboration and communication — translates easily to the corporate world. IWBs are perfect for corporate boardrooms, as well as team huddle spaces and breakout rooms, to replace outdated flip charts and easel pads

With an integrated IWB solution such as Samsung’s DME-BR series e-Boards, business clients can enjoy:

• Greater Interactivity. Presenters and participants can exchange ideas and content during the session using the e-board or their own client devices.
• Improved presentations. Improvements to content manipulation tools and overall usability give presenters the power to interact with their content with the swipe of a hand or the touch of a stylus.
• Larger palette of sources. Robust tools support a wide range of content types that can be mixed and matched in presentations.
• Streamlined production. User-friendly menus and file-management tools offer total control of presentation content from concept through audience feedback.
• Simplified setup. The all-in-one architecture of the Samsung DME-BR series e-Boards makes them a completely portable solution with fast setup and no dedicated PC required.

Indeed, the time has never been better to add IWBs to the solution provider bill of fare. The global market for interactive whiteboards and flat-panel displays is seeing unprecedented growth, according to Futuresource, which keeps tabs on the market for these devices in both the education and corporate sectors.

The latest sales results show impressive year-over-year growth of 42 percent, with 300,000 units shipped in the first quarter of 2015 to both schools and businesses. Interactive flat panels are in 20 percent of classrooms worldwide, and the most expensive units now account for better than 50 percent of the market, Futuresource reports.

Moreover, while the classroom has led the explosive adoption of interactive whiteboards and flat-panel displays, Futuresource senior market analyst Colin Messenger says the boardroom is catching up. Corporate sales of the devices will match education sales by 2018, he predicts.

"Interactive flat panels are quickly becoming the standard display,” Messenger said. “Moving forward, we see the corporate market as the fastest-growing sector for interactive displays…with the growth coming from more developed markets like the United States, the U.K., Germany, and Sweden."

It’s time for channel partners to embrace the benefits and opportunities presented by IWBs beyond the classroom. All-in-one e-board solutions like Samsung’s DME-BR series can give businesses the power of interactive content, augmented with on-screen notes, to make presentations and training sessions more engaging and effective.

Organizations are increasingly looking for tools to accelerate collaboration; solution providers that get e-boards right can capitalize on this growing market.