Analysts firm, Ovum, recently revealed that the majority of corporate BYOD programmes are ‘inadequately managed by IT departments.’ The iPad mini, which will be available on UK shelves this week, is predicted to be popular among employees.
Forrester analyst, Frank Gillet, also noted that the iPad mini would be a successful BYOD addition to the workplace because of its brand, size and affordability.
The iPad mini, however, is expected to put additional demand on enterprise networks that are already finding it hard to support wireless devices.
"The mobile market is growing at breakneck speed and the majority of people are carrying more than one device around them – and expecting to be able to connect in the workplace as a standard," said Chris Kozup, EMEA senior marketing director at Aruba Networks.
Kozup believes that BYOD has grown exponentially within the last year because of the mobile market. Employees are now connecting to their enterprise networks simultaneously from multiple devices.
"Consumerisation is no doubt a disruptive force to traditional IT models, and as such the role of the IT team is changing too," said Kozup. "Gone are the days when IT departments were relied upon solely to impart wisdom through technical support – today’s workforce is increasingly tech-savvy, with many employees now having grown up in the wireless era. Indeed, as the workforce gradually gets younger and more technically able, organisations really have little choice but to embrace BYOD. "
According to analysts at RBC capital, iPad sales are expected to double from 15 million units sold in Q4 last year from the iPad mini announcement.
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iPad mini sales are expected to do well in Asia, where there is consumer demand for a product of this size.
"There is little doubt that the 4G-equipped iPad Mini is going to be one of the major consumer electronics successes this Christmas, alongside the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Note," said Peter Doggart, senior director of global marketing at Crossbeam systems. "In fact, global tablet shipments in 2012 are set to reach 87.7 million units, according to IDC."
The popularity of mobile data enabled devices also means that mobile network operators will have to plan ahead, especially with the coming Christmas season. Operators will need to be able to cope with millions of new devices appearing on networks without compromising service.
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