Investing in tablets is one of the top three IT spending priorities for 2017 in European enterprises, according to new data from IDC.

IDC’s Tablet in Enterprise 2.0 — The Large Opportunity study surveyed IT and line of business decision makers in 10 vertical sectors – such as education, hospitality, government, and transport – across the UK, France, Germany and Sweden.

More than 60% of these companies view tablets as an essential element of their mobility strategy, with over two thirds evaluating or planning to purchase slate or detachable devices in the short term.

According to the survey, European enterprises are maturing in their approach to tablet deployments and have started to focus on how the devices can be used for new applications and to improve business outcomes as part of their digital transformation strategies. Many tablet deployments are now driven by companies’ desires to increase employee productivity, allow them to work flexibly, and collaborate.

“As mobility and digital transformation strategies drive the mobilisation of specific industry applications,” said Marta Fiorentini, research manager at IDC EMEA Personal Computing. “Companies continue to look at tablets to harness the benefits of mobile data-enabled workers, support new digital business processes, and maximise engagement with always-connected customers. Hardware is still important but applications have become crucial and a key differentiator to achieve the business objectives behind tablet deployments.”

While the rising popularity of touch input continues to support demand for slate tablets, the study also showed that many companies are interested in hybrid device. These devices, which include detachables and convertibles, are expected to account for more than 50% of the tablets that companies in the sample intend to purchase in the next few years.

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