Ever since the BlackBerry first hit the market, cellphones have been the cornerstone device in many enterprise mobility strategies, with many companies exclusively catering their on-the-go solutions toward cellphones. However, as the tablet market matures, organizations may need to do more to better incorporate these devices into their workflows.

While smartphones continue to be immensely popular in enterprise settings, the maturation of the tablet market has made these devices increasingly commonplace. The Globe and Mail noted that tablet prices continue to drop as more manufacturers present their offerings. In particular, the news source cited the upcoming release of the latest Google Nexus tablet, which will be approximately $100 cheaper than the current industry-leading tablet: Apple’s iPad.

The entrance of Google and other manufacturers into a market first dominated by Apple devices means that what happened to smartphones will likely happen with tablets, Ovum principal analyst Tony Cripps told The Globe and Mail. Namely, as tablets become more cost-effective, the number and diversity of devices sold will grow to a level currently seen with smartphones.

The lower price point of tablets has been one of the key reasons such devices have become more pervasive, and current trends indicate that the market will likely grow even more over the next few years. IDC predicted in March that the global tablet market will grow by close to 59 percent this year, with mobile device sales soon surpassing portable PCs.

“What started as a sign of tough economic times has quickly shifted to a change in the global computing paradigm with mobile being the primary benefactor,” said IDC’s Ryan Reith. “Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them. IDC continues to believe that PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users. But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC.”

What rising tablet sales means for companies
Although the trends noted by IDC, Ovum and other researchers primarily concern the consumer electronics market, the rise in popularity of bring-your-own-device policies means that these consumer-centric tablets will soon be more frequent sights in business settings. According to statistics cited in a March article from The Globe and Mail, approximately 69 percent of Canadian businesses allow some form of BYOD, and 81 percent of Canadians use a mobile device to conduct work-related tasks.

In order to best deal with this influx of tablets, enterprises may want to reconfigure their IT infrastructure design. By turning to the IT consulting services experts at FlexITy, companies can be sure they have the hardware and software in place to maximize the benefits of tablets and ensure that end users can utilize mobile devices to boost revenue. For example, a unified communication and collaboration as a service (UCCaaS) solution can allow employees to use tablets to stay in touch with customers and internal collaborators from anywhere.

As enterprise mobility trends shift, FlexITy is there to make sure businesses can succeed today and well into the future.

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