Citrix Says: Apple iPad Gains More Business Momentum

Needed more proof that the iPad is worth pitching to SMBs or enterprises? Look no further than a survey from Citrix Systems; the results revealed that 72 percent of iPad users have access to corporate resources, and 13 percent of users say it’s a mission-critical piece of hardware. Impressive. But that’s not all.

Simply put: The iPad seems to be following in the iPhone’s footsteps — starting out as a consumer device but moving quickly into corporate settings, even if corporate IT doesn’t yet support the device.

What implications — if any — does the Citrix survey have for mobile VARs? Take a look at the survey results and you’ll find that it’s chock full of questions, but the major takeaway was that people really are getting work — business tasks — done with their iPads. Citrix had slightly fewer than 5,000 respondents to the survey, which basically looked at whether the iPad is a viable business tool. Of the respondents, 43 percent said they used the iPad daily in their routine, and 13 percent actually claimed it was a mission-critical piece of hardware.

But wait, don’t get all that excited yet. To be fair, Citrix noted that the respondents were mainly Citrix customers (or partners) who could be enjoying Citrix’s iPad apps, as well as employees who bring their own iPads to work. Citrix warned that IT support for iPads “at businesses that are not Citrix customers is likely much lower.” Ummm that disclaimer makes the findings seem less impressive, but they’re still worthy of recognition, especially with almost 5,000 people surveyed.

Here are some more interesting responses…

• 62 percent said they’d buy the iPad for work
• 72 percent said they have access to corporate resources using the iPad
• 38 percent said they work faster and better because of their iPad
• 88 percent believe the iPad can and will help them work better anywhere they are

No doubt, The VAR Guy’s blogging team spends considerable time using their own iPads. But will this change with the advent of more Android tablets and the Blackberry Playbook? The VAR Guy looks forward to putting the new devices to the test.

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