Channel 4 staff bring their iPads to work

Channel 4 has become the latest big name to support employees using their own tablet computers in the workplace.

But the broadcaster's staff only have eyes for Apple's iPad device.

"People expect their own devices to work when they come into the workplace and we're looking at how to best support that," explained Channel 4 CIO Kevin Gallagher.

He added that the tablet device that staff want supported is almost exclusively iPads.

"There's approximately 30 or 40 iPads in the organisation that we're supporting. I've no doubt other tablets will appear on the scene soon. It hasn't happened yet but it's only a matter of time," Gallagher added.

Channel 4 supports the devices in its secure Citrix environment, with protected Wi-Fi for security. In addition, if staff lose their iPads, Channel 4's IT team can wipe the data off the device remotely.

Gallagher said that the device is used among various divisions in the business and is not limited to sales and marketing staff.

"Our salespeople use it. So do our marketing teams as social media is becoming ever more important. Our directors are also interested in using the device," he said.

"We're in a creative industry, so people need to be familiar with what's out there to get ideas. We're also producing content for the iPad so we need our people to be familiar with it."