Tablet use in enterprises is limited but growing

Anecdotal evidence from Alcatel-Lucent event suggests use is mainly in sales teams - for now

Tablet use within business is mainly focussed on the sales department, according to enterprise communications provider Alcatel-Lucent.

The company said most of the tablet users it encounters are sales executives, citing one large retail bank that uses the devices as sales tools.

Belgian operator and Alcatel-Lucent customer Belgacom agreed, saying only its sales staff use tablet devices.

Alcatel-Lucent has been showcasing networking solutions at its Dynamic Tour 2011 event in Barcelona, and the firm is focusing on mobility.

But not all those attending the event agreed with Alcatel-Lucent's take on tablet usage, saying that the devices have broader applications across the business.

Gary Horn, chief information officer at US healthcare provider Advanced Healthcare, said his company uses tablet devices to interact with patients and to collaborate with other doctors. That usage is set to grow, he said.

Security is also driving tablet use. Horn said that no information is stored on the devices, improving security. He argued that there will soon be little need for desktop PCs in his organisation as tablet devices perform almost all of the tasks needed in hospitals.

"Within the next two or three years, we don´t see a need to have any desktop PCs in our organisation at all. Perhaps the only places we will see desktop PCs still used is in radiology labs, where very advanced software is required," he said.

Another popular use for tablet devices is presentations.

Kevin Panozza, CEO at Australian call centre consultancy firm Let´s Engage, said the launch of Apple´s iPad 2 has made the use of tablet devices appealing to his firm.

"The iPad 2 has the capability to output via HDMI to large screens. You can put together a presentation on an iPad 2 and then plug it into a large screen to carry out presentations. So that's where we'll be using it, in presentations," he said.