Panasonic Toughpad 4K User's Manual

Not All Tablets Are Fit for  

Enterprise Use

productivity as their primary motivator. Other reasons for 
widespread deployment of tablets include facilitating better 
and faster decision making through near-real-time access  
to information (53%), bolstering employee satisfaction (44%), 
and fostering the ability to gather and record information in 
the field (43%).

Tablets have become more commonplace in the work-

place in part because of the exposure business users  
have had to the technology via their own personal use.  
With consumer adoption of mobile devices on the rise, 
users have become accustomed to the convenience of 
watching video or accessing email on the go, fueling their 
expectations for a comparable mobile experience in their 
professional lives. 

The desire to have a single device bridge the personal  

and professional worlds is also having an impact on the 
corporate computing infrastructure. The phenomenon 
known as Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, where users 
deploy their own tablets and smartphones on the job, is 
becoming more prevalent in the workplace. As a result, 
companies find themselves deploying and supporting  
the more familiar consumer-grade tablets as opposed 
to enterprise-class tablets, which are considered highly 
durable and expandable, support more robust security and 
management capabilities, and are purpose-built to operate 
in a variety of environments, including out in the field or on 
the manufacturing floor.

The tablet, after years of false starts, is final y being taken 
seriously as a professional computing tool. But as user 
adoption surges, IT organizations face the reality that 
popular consumer-grade models are increasingly  
hamstrung by limited functionality and are not robust 
enough to withstand rigorous enterprise use.

Tablets are gaining ground in the enterprise for a number 

of reasons. Drawn in by the lightweight form factor and the 
promise of “work anywhere” mobility, a growing number 
of users are finding value in a tool that lets them do more 
and carry less. At the same time, organizations are highly 
receptive to replacing paper-based processes, increasing 
col aboration among employees, and delivering additional 
functionality and information via custom apps as a way to 
improve customer service or streamline operations.

According to a recent IDG Market Pulse survey of  

InfoWorld readers with 1,000 or more employees, 81%  
of respondents are incorporating tablets into their 
computing infrastructure as a means of empowering 
employee mobility, while 68% cite increased employee 

WHILE CONSUMER-GRADE TABLETS CURRENTLY DOMINATE THE ENTERPRISE,   
IT ORGANIZATIONS ARE QUESTIONING THEIR LONG-TERM VIABILITY AS A   
PROFESSIONAL COMPUTING TOOL, CITING LIMITATIONS AROUND   
FUNCTIONALITY, DURABILITY, AND RELIABILITY.

Market 

Pulse

WHITE PAPER

ACCORDING TO A RECENT IDG MARKET 
PULSE SURVEY OF INFOWORLD READERS 
WITH 1,000 OR MORE EMPLOYEES, 81%   
OF RESPONDENTS ARE INCORPORATING 
TABLETS INTO THEIR COMPUTING   
INFRASTRUCTURE AS A MEANS OF   
EMPOWERING EMPLOYEE MOBILITY, WHILE 
68% CITE INCREASED EMPLOYEE PRODUC-
TIVITY AS THEIR PRIMARY MOTIVATOR.