Equanet: One in five UK firms using tablets

Some 71 per cent of tablets used for business are employee-owned, study of IT managers finds

Almost one in five UK firms already uses tablets in the workplace, a study of 1,200 IT managers by Equanet suggests.

Despite initial expectations that tablets would be a consumer-only opportunity, UK businesses that invest in the devices are reaping the rewards, the VAR said.

According to its research, 18 per cent of those quizzed said they are already using the emerging form factor in the workplace. Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of the tablets used for business purposes are employee-owned, Equanet added.

The tablet's aesthetic appeal appears to be equally as important as its functionality to those who have invested, Equanet found.

Some 83 per cent said the best thing about their tablet was its "cool factor", while 98 per cent said they believed that owning a tablet allows them to demonstrate a business is up to date with the latest technology.

Sixty-eight per cent said they most often used their tablets for email management.

Just one fifth (21 per cent) of the respondents raised any security concerns, despite the perceived high risk of theft.

IDC data confirms the tablet market continues to be dominated by Apple. More than nine out of ten (92 per cent) of those questioned by Equanet cited the iPad as the first thing that springs to mind when asked about tablets, with just four per cent picking its closest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy.

Paul Barlow, managing director of VAR Servium, argued that business adoption of tablets had been hampered by the lack of a viable Microsoft operating system.

"Next year will be a really significant year for the tablet market because Windows 8 is coming out," he said.

"From an enterprise's point of view, Apple is another operating system they have to manage. There are some reasonable non-iPad tablets out there but the operating system is currently holding them back."

The Equanet study questioned IT managers at mid-to-large UK firms. Barlow said tablets have gained traction among SMBs faster than larger enterprises because they tend to have fewer controls over employee-owned devices.