Most agreed the tablet computer was better suited to presenting and reviewing documents than to originating content. For this reason, nearly all regarded the tablet computer as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, other enterprise devices (mobile phone and laptop). In fact, only one participant expressed willingness to use only the tablet computer.
Since using their tablet computers, participants reported using both their laptops and smartphones 23% less. For highly mobile presenters, the percentage was still greater.
Overall, trial participants summarised the main advantages of tablet computers as portability and speedy access to information, and the primary challenges as document creation and editing, and compliance with corporate storage solutions.
The trial identified particular benefits for highly mobile users of business information in externally-facing roles. Such employees are typically required to travel from site to site, locally, nationally or globally, working in the field or on customer premises. For such highly mobile users, the tablet provides convenient and rapid access to e-mail and the Internet. It enables the sharing and viewing of video and presentations at planned business meetings, as well as facilitating spontaneous collaboration in less formal settings. Being able to tap in to back-office data or online content on the go can enhance performance as well as productivity, which benefits customers and, ultimately, the bottom line.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The enterprise deployment of tablet computers plays to some of the behaviours that companies have been seeking to inculcate for some time: flexibility and collaboration.
Trial feedback strongly suggests that for enterprises, the tablet computer is a portable, cost-effective alternative to laptops that increases productivity by enabling people to work more flexibly and efficiently both in the office and elsewhere. Tech-savvy employees can gain advantage by using these devices to present to key clients and staff, projecting an image of a forward-thinking and technologically advanced company. However, tablet computers aren’t a panacea: the trial concluded that they don’t offer a wholesale alternative to laptops and smartphones in the office environment. Firstly, despite offering the potential for Voice over IP, they are not telephony devices. Secondly, the current generation of tablet computers does not match the power or utility of the laptop or desktop PC when it comes to content generation. Content creators still prefer the ergonomics – notably the screen and keyboard – of more traditional machines. But the tablet computer functions admirably as a portable collaboration tool and instant presentation resource, and can serve as a laptop/smartphone replacement for field sales and service personnel or in the retail environment, for example.
Enterprise Considerations
The full integration of a tablet computer estate into an existing corporate infrastructure requires attention to be paid to a range of considerations – financial and technical, strategic and practical. These would typically span:
Procurement – if the tablet computer is a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, a laptop and smartphone, it’s vital to evaluate the total cost of ownership against the tangible and intangible business benefits gained through increased flexibility.
IT – technical considerations of an enterprise mobility strategy include: access to corporate data, increased network complexity, operating system and platform diversity, compatibility with cloud-based storage, file transfer between tablets and PCs, hard copy outputs, activity management and enterprise application development.
Security – security is a concern for both the enterprise, in terms of device management and data protection, as well as for users who bring personal tablets into the workplace.
Policies, Procedures and Practices – introducing tablet computers into the enterprise setting may require an element of business process re-engineering to mitigate risk and ensure adherence to best practice. However, tablets can equally have a transformational impact on some business processes, particularly those performed in a mobile environment rather than behind a desk, improving process experience, efficiency and productivity.