Tablets Take Their Place as Essential Work Tools

Tablets have emerged as standard work devices in most organizations, according to a recent survey from Dell. And, so far, these deployments are getting good reviews: Most IT decision-makers surveyed reported that tablets are meeting—if not exceeding—their expectations. An overwhelming majority of the respondents said that these devices are increasing employee productivity. Perhaps the widespread acceptance goes back to the "Goldilocks" factor: For users who consider laptops too clunky and smartphones too small to use as primary work machines, the tablet has emerged as "just right." Nevertheless, tablets are not replacing laptops or smartphones. Given our obsession with perpetual connectivity, tablets are most frequently used in tandem with the other devices. Not all of the feedback from survey participants is positive, however, as a significant number of the respondents believe that tablets are more vulnerable to both physical damage and cyber-security threats than traditional desktop computers. An estimated 250 U.S. IT decision-makers took part in the research, which was conducted by the Harris Poll.