Tablet computers in enterprise
22 June 2011
The tablet computer is becoming the fastest growing consumer electronic product; growing faster than e-book readers, Blu-Ray players, mobile phones, smart phones, and netbooks. According to Gartner media tablets will represent 58% of connected mobile consumer electronics by 2014. In fact the Apple iPad took only 9 months to reach 10million users whilst the CD player took over 7 years. Andy Ross, Chief Executive of Northgate Managed Services discusses why it is important for businesses to prepare to adopt these type of mobile devices and what should be considered.
The consumer tends to adopt new technologies at a faster rate than a business or enterprise might do so, but at some point organisations need to adopt similar technologies to meet their employee and customer demands so that they enjoy the same experiences at work as they do at home. As technology has grown to be a commodity, and consumer technology spend is increasing at a faster rate year on year, enterprises need to prepare for adoption more quickly. Tablet computers are reasonably priced, smaller, lighter and more portable but just as feature rich as laptop / personal computers, therefore the tablet market is experiencing phenomenal growth. With the ever-increasing mobile workforces, the need for better user experience and economics, enterprises need to also adopt quickly and securely.
Tablets will gain enormous traction within the enterprise. From media and entertainment companies to law firms and hospitals, businesses all over will be embracing mobile devices. A tablet offers much more than a piece of new technology - the real value comes from the content that can be accessed from it. The growth of cloud-based applications both in professional and personal level will continue to drive tablet adoption. There are thousands of business applications available, no matter the task at hand. They are a key element of how businesses can transform how they work. Whether you need to get organised, attend an online meeting, share data with clients in face to face meetings, gather customer responses in the field or proof read company reports in the airport, tablets offer unlimited possibilities for business users.
Another advantage of using the tablet, is its capability of being "always on and always connected", this will no doubt have a positive impact on an employee's efficiency and productivity. With the ever increasing amount of private and public wireless connections, this becomes much more realistic. Users are participating in, rather than consuming technology, especially with rise of applications such as Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube. Even the use of video has become more mainstream. This can be a real advantage and opportunity in the enterprise space, using the video function on tablets to video conference, thus minimising travel costs. People are now moving more towards a virtual environment at home when it comes to communicating, spending and the storing of information - so, why not make this move in the business world?
When you do decide you are ready for this transition, it is important for organisations to evaluate which tablet technologies are most suitable for them, which operating system will integrate most seamlessy and economically into their existing architecture. How will the assets be managed, should employees be able to bring in their own devices and connect to the corporate network? For some of the schools we work with, we offer a purchase scheme, in which students can buy their own device at an affordable price which they can then link into the school's network. Maybe this is a way that businesses can offer their employees access to theses devices without adding to their investment.
Due to the diversity of devices, and an increasing reliance on open systems, the potential for unauthorised access and more cyber attacks is growing, and companies may be concerned by security risks. However it is possible to provide a secure mobile computing platform on these devices, by ensuring there are policies in place, the device has a passcode, the device is encrypted and the platform is secure.
The business opportunities available as a result of consumer technology movement into the enterprise are considerable and the companies that move quickly are those will most likely to achieve success.
