SMBs embracing tablet computer

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are among those that have purchased and deployed tablet computers in an effort to improve productivity and access to the company network among remote employees, cloud services provider Intermedia reports.

The company has analyzed its client base and revealed that tablets are gaining popularity in the SMB sector. According to Intermedia, tablets now account for 25 percent of activations on the company's syncing service, which links email, calendars and contact information between mobile devices. And between October and December 2011, tablet-based activations jumped from 19 percent to 26 percent.

"Small and medium-sized business owners and their employees are increasingly working remotely, so taking the capabilities they have in the office -- including secure email and instant messaging, VoIP telephony and document sharing -- and combining them with mobile apps for a true on-the-go workforce is becoming more important," Intermedia president Michael Gold says.

While smartphones still account for the majority of Intermedia's activations, tablet computers like the Apple® iPad® and devices run on the Android™ platform are gaining ground.

Tablet usage should only grow moving forward. Forrester Research predicts that 112.5 million adults in the United States will own a tablet in 2016, as the continuing stream of devices to the marketplace has made them widely available to all segments.