Most Aussie enterprises will use tablets in coming year

The majority of Australian enterprises will introduce consumer media tablets in the coming year, in order to address the consumerisation of IT and cloud computing, according to a new report from analyst firm IDC.

The report is based on survey data captured in the first half of 2011 and end-user case studies.

"The introduction of media tablets in Australian enterprises is being viewed by CIOs and IT decision-makers as an opportunity to address broader issues related to the workspace ecosystem including the consumerisation of IT, cloud computing, mobility and security," says IDC senior analyst Trevor Clarke.

"In short, these devices will be a catalyst for fundamental change in how IT is leveraged and the makeup of the device and client OS ecosystem,” Clarke said.

According to the survey, more than 56% of organisations will deploy media tablets, or allow employees to introduce their own, in the next year.

This is especially true of larger organisations, according to IDC, with many CIOs under pressure from C-level executives to deploy tablet devices.

Interestingly, many CIOs participating in the survey said that the media tablets would outright replace some devices in their organisations. According to IDC, tablets in consumer land are used to complement other devices, not replace them.

"We will see these devices create change in how employees utilise technology to complete their responsibilities," Clarke said.

But the trend won’t catch on with every Australian organisation.

"Not all organisations will adopt media tablets and they certainly won't be appropriate for all employees or all situations," Clarke said.

"Some will baulk at the security risks, integration and change management their deployment entails. However, what is clear from the survey results is the momentum is behind these devices finding their way to a permanent place in Australia's enterprise organisations," Clarke said.