Tablets' unstoppable rise creates fresh challenges for IT departments
Time to get your app and security strategies in place...
IT departments are likely to face new challenges as tablet PCs make an increasing impact on the enterprise.
The arrival of Apple's iPad tablet earlier this year started an "arms race" in the device industry, which will prompt tech companies to "innovate like crazy", according to a recent report by Forrester Research.
By the end of June 2010, more than three million iPads had been sold - a figure Forrester predicts will rise to more than 13 million by the end of 2010.
"With an all-day battery life, a seductive form factor and user experience, and a rapidly expanding portfolio of business applications (although missing Microsoft Office), iPad has captivated consumers and employees alike," Forrester analyst Ted Schadler wrote in the report.
However, the arrival of tablet PCs in the corporate environment will present challenges to the IT department, according to Schadler.
The arrival of Apple's iPad has fuelled business interest in tablet PCs, presenting new challenges for IT departments
(Photo credit: Apple)
"Tablets will bring many new benefits, but they also bring new problems that IT must deal with. The security of post-PC devices is probably not the worst of your concerns, however," he said.
For a start, employees will need to be educated about where and when the use of tablets makes sense. With Microsoft Office currently unavailable on most tablet PCs, the devices won't displace laptops for productivity purposes in the near future.
Any tablets that appear in organisations will be additional devices that IT will have to support, according to Forrester, rather than replacements for existing hardware.
IT will also need to decide what tablet applications get deployed first, the analysts said. Basic applications, such as email and office apps, need to be dealt with first before others can be added.
The increasing number of computing platforms will present another challenge, with Forrester advising IT departments to focus on Apple's iOS and Android first.
IT departments will also need to keep security and device management up to scratch so that greater use of tablets doesn't create additional risks for the business, the report said.
According to Forrester, 30 per cent of IT departments are now piloting or planning to pilot tablet PC apps, with another 43 per cent expressing an interest in tablets.
Just a quarter of organisations that Forrester spoke to have no plans for tablet PCs.