Tablets increase influence in business world

The Apple iPad was introduced in April of 2010 and has been touted as a business tool ever since, despite focus on its gaming, entertainment and basic internet functions. Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe said in a USA Today article that 72 percent of businesses using tablets are using the iPad. The device has helped Apple become – as of August 21 – the most valuable company in history.

As more employees use tablets in their personal lives, these gadgets are seeping more into bring your own device (BYOD) strategies. The technology is adding new elements to businesses tools and offering a number of benefits and features to tackle everyday tasks.

“Tablets are fundamentally reinventing business software and, in that process, business itself,” Howe said to the source. “We sometimes forget we’re only two years into the tablet revolution – the equivalent of 1980 in the PC era – and yet the tablet is already the center of new software development.”

A new survey of 600 IT leaders in 18 industries conducted by Cisco found that 78 percent of employees have a mobile device they use for work. These devices also help enterprises save $2,500 per-employee annually when workers telecommunicate one day per week.

The amount of third-party applications available are also helping to increase BYOD policies. Mobile programs have the ability to take a tablet and make it a telephone, communication device or e-commerce system, plus act as a mobile computer thanks to cloud storage options.

Personal devices are becoming synonymous with business tools but without proper infrastructure and security protocols implemented, the strategy can do more harm than good. Businesses in Ohio that are interested in deploying BYOD solutions would be wise to partner with an IT consulting firm.

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