Tablet demand growing in enterprise

This year is expected to see significant changes in the enterprise tablet market, as more employees are requesting to use the mobile devices to complete work-related tasks, according to a study from Cisco.

In a survey of 1,500 IT managers and executives from around the world, Cisco finds that employees request one tablet computer for every three smartphones. At the same time, more employees are simply bringing their own devices to the workplace.

Though nearly half of the survey respondents say they would never support bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, 51 percent indicate that more employees are already using their personally owned tablets and smartphones for work.

The United States and France are leading the world in terms of enterprise tablet adoption, the study finds, both with 21 percent of their workforces placing requests for the mobile devices. IT managers in Spain appear to be the most excited about the technology, with 90 percent saying they believe the tablet will be more prevalent in the workplace in two years.

The tablet brings several advantages to the enterprise, including improved flexibility and mobility. Though there are still obstacles to widespread tablet adoption, all signs seem to indicate that the technology will become a staple in the workplace in the coming years.