Enterprise users driving new tablet growth

Demand for tablet computers in the US enterprise segment is expected to increase fivefold during the next five years, driven largely by new deployments by Fortune 500 companies, according to a report from research firm TechSci Research.

The study, published in March 2012, projects the US tablet market to experience a compound annual growth rate of 25.4 percent through 2016. TechSci estimates that businesses will account for at least 30 percent of that growth, noting that most Fortune 500 companies are already using or piloting the devices.

Initially, businesses will deploy tablets to executives and top management personnel. The technology will then trickle down into lower levels of the company, primarily to sales and marketing staff, TechSci states.

This trend is already unfolding in a number of businesses. Salespeople across industries have been armed with tablet computers in an effort to make them more effective on the road and in meetings at other companies' offices. As the mobile workforce expands in the coming years, experts predict the tablet will become an even more valuable tool for remote employees.