Tablet Protection Now Critical

By Costis Papadimitrakopoulos

When tablet computers first launched, they were dismissed by many as a passing fad – nothing more than “big smartphones” with no place in the corporate world. Today, the iPad accounts for 1% of all global browsing and, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTec, more than 3.6 million people in the UK now own a tablet, a threefold increase on November 2010.

In the workplace, tablets can attribute a lot of their success to the increasing popularity of cloud computing. Storing and accessing information via the cloud is freeing businesses to fully embrace mobile working. Lots of organizations are opting for tablets as a tool of choice to enable staff to stay in touch whilst on the go, update reports in real-time and access corporate applications wherever they are.

It’s already well recognized that sales teams that showcase product information to prospects via tablets are getting much more engagement than those that are still relying upon traditional paper brochures.

The productivity and efficiency benefits are recognized the world over, much to the tablet manufacturer’s delight. In fact, in Apple’s last earnings call it revealed nearly half of the Global 500 are testing or deploying iPads within their organizations, with the likes of Xerox, Estee Lauder, Disney and Prudential Financial having already issued iPads to their workforce.

On top of the productivity benefits of working on the move, distributing cool technologies has a positive impact on morale, with many claiming that an iPad trumps on-site showers as the top staff perk.

However, many businesses are worried that, in order to get the functionality and efficiency that tablet computers can enable, they may have to sacrifice on security and control. As with any kind of mobile devices, the information held on tablets is incredibly valuable to its organization, and cyber criminals are attracted to this information – no matter where it is saved.

Source: TelecomsEurope.net