Citrix Survey Finds High iPad Interest Among Businesses

Citrix, a company that closely watches the IT world, has carried out a survey to find out how many businesses are eager to support the iPad. In what is the most striking statistic that has come out of a Citrix-conducted survey, the company claims that 84% of businesses surveyed will support personal iPads.

According to the Citrix Blog, “The 494 respondents so far have indicated a high adoption rate and anticipation of the iPad as a business tool.” The IT firm, which mainly deals with centralization, optimization and virtualization, wants to make it clear that data has mostly come from Citrix customers and those that have shown enough interest in the iPad to take a short survey. Further in the report, Citrix reveals that those who take the survey are actually promised the chance to win a free iPad.

“The high level of support for personal iPads seems to reinforce the notion that the iPad will be the door opener for BYOC at many companies,” the company stresses. “The fact that IT can safely provide access to company apps, data and virtual desktops without managing the device will make the iPad a game changer for business beyond just the form factor and features. This device will provide the leading example of how IT can keep control of the data, apps and compliance yet enable their users to maximize their choice and productivity from anywhere.” Citrix then goes to include some of the other findings from the survey (reproduced below).

• 80% will purchase and use the iPad for business;
• 84% of organizations will support personal iPads; 50% expect their organization to purchase for them;
• Primary app to be used on the iPad are productivity apps with 87% response rate;
• 90% of respondents will use iPad for business email, closely followed by the ability to view, edit and create presentations. Nearly 60% of respondents indicated that they will use iPad for online meetings and to access critical business information;
• Largest benefits: 90% indicated increased mobility to work remote, at home, or anywhere, 74% indicated improved productivity and satisfaction.

The report ends with Citrix encouraging visitors of its blog to participate in the survey, which ran until May 31st. A follow-up with all the details is on its way as soon as all the results are in, according to Chris Fleck, vice president of community and solutions development at Citrix. Fleck handles the Developer Network, Solutions Development, and grows the technical community around Citrix. He is also involved with or leading multiple strategic initiatives at the company, as part of the Citrix CTO Office.