Tablet PCs: Why SMEs are crazy about them

We have a new contributor, Nadia Hyeong! Nadia discusses the growing use of tablet computers by small and medium enterprises, and what Caribbean businesses could consider when faced with a decision of whether to purchase a PC/laptop or a tablet. 

Small and medium enterprises or SMEs are generally fast-paced, and are all about cost effectiveness. This is the reason why tablet PC technology suits them the best. What are the reasons why small businesses are scrambling to get their hands on this mobile marvel of personal computing?

Statistics from a recent study by Intuit show that the tablet PC is mostly popular among the two smallest brackets of SMEs in the United States. Tablet adoption rate from 2011-2016 is projected for a 78% growth for small-scale businesses (those with 10-99 employees), and 98% for micro-scale (less than 10 employees). From 2012 to 2013, market intelligence firm IDC predicts that these two SME brackets will grow 114% in terms of tablet adoption.

Low-cost mobile data

There are various options to lower down your phone bill. Telefonica’s O2 offers two options to tailor-fit the needs of small businesses. O2’s iPad sim cards offer prepaid schemes that provide 2GB of mobile data for just over $20. Another is its On & On mobile plan which provides 1GB worth of data along with unlimited calls and texts at roughly the same cost. This shows that mobile networks are aware of the important role of devices such as tablets and smartphones in SMEs.

Small businesses in certain parts of the Caribbean can benefit from the use of tablets. Affordable mobile data access is readily available throughout the region—telecoms in Barbados offer up to 7GB of data a month for just under $30. That is more than triple the data allowance in the UK at nearly the same price.

Readily-available productivity tools

The mobile platform has so much to offer. Both the iTunes Store and Google Play are home to hundreds of office productivity and enterprise apps that cover almost every aspect of business itself. From word processors to market trend monitoring, the robust lineup of tools available is astounding. MyBusiness Tech Blog mentions a Forrester Research report on the future of tablet PCs in the personal computing landscape. The BT Futures report indicated that tablets will “become standard tools for executives, sales staff, and many other information workers” by 2016.

Cost-effective and eco-friendly

Tablet PCs offer more than just convenience. Adopting a mobile device for the business setting can significantly cut down on operating costs, particularly on office supplies. Canada-based marketing software firm Uberflip compiled information on the effects of using tablets and found that 45% of users decreased their printing habits. 79% believe that reducing the need to print was the main benefit from using the device. The same information indicated that even ministers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan save up to $50,000 by using iPads to reduce paperwork.

Also, with evolving mobile connectivity technologies like 4G, mobile data access becomes faster and more reliable. This makes it possible for small-scale businesses to rely more on more affordable cloud computing solutions. eBusiness hosting firm vServer Center in its comparison of costs between dedicated and cloud servers, shows that the latter is significantly cheaper to use. Compared to the cloud solution at only $29 to $99, rates for dedicated servers is roughly around $99 to $1500 on an average.

Concerns

Tablets rely on mobile data access –it is the lifeblood of the machine itself. While there is a general global concern on the potential cost of rising data usage, actual global trends will alleviate any previous fears. A study by Visage Mobile projects that the average data usage rate will triple by 2015. But, the study didn’t take into consideration the lowering infrastructure operation and maintenance costs. These important points can effectively mitigate out the rise in usage rates. Tariffs will go down as operating costs becomes cheaper with technology.

In conclusion

The mobile platform, with its technological nature, will continue to evolve. It will get better, and become more affordable. SMEs are aware of this fact, and are wise to capitalize on its cost-effectiveness to meet their needs. Trends show that SMEs adopting a tablet solution will more than double this year alone, which is already a good indicator of things to come.

We’d like to hear about your thoughts on this discussion. Write to us your comments, reactions, and feedback.