Tablets top tables in 2017 European enterprise spending plans
Sales of devices set to rocket, according to IDC, as tablets form major part of mobility strategies
Tablet devices are to be one of the top IT spending priorities for 2017 in sectors such as education, hospitality, government and transport, according to IDC.
The analyst questioned over 1,500 IT decision makers across 10 vertical sectors in the UK, France, Germany and Sweden, with results revealing that more than two thirds were evaluating or planning to buy tablet or detachable devices in the short term.
Its study, Tablet in Enterprise 2.0 - the Large Opportunity, analysed businesses' device strategies and requirements in terms of hardware and software, and evaluated the opportunities that evolving technology such as tablets, smartphones and phablets can bring to a company.
IDC claims its study shows that tablet adoption continues to expand in terms of users and user scenarios, as they become a business computing device in their own right.
The analyst said European enterprises are maturing in their approach to tablet deployments and have started to focus more on applications and business outcomes, with tablet adoption driven by the need to increase employees' productivity, flexibility and collaboration, as well as their own digital transformation strategies.
Marta Fiorentini, research manager, IDC EMEA personal computing, said: "As mobility and digital transformation strategies drive the mobilisation of specific industry applications, companies continue to look at tablets to harness the benefits of mobile data-enabled workers, support new digital business processes, and maximise engagement with always-connected customers.
"Hardware is still important, but applications have become crucial and a key differentiator to achieve the business objectives behind tablet deployments."
The report also claims that there was a very strong interest in hybrid devices including detachables and convertibles, with these types of devices set to account for over half the tablet purchases predicted in the next few years.