By: Nathan Eddy – 2012-05-16

A CDW survey suggests adoption of smartphones and tablets in the workplace is driving down costs and improving productivity.

Who says tablets and smartphones are just shiny, distracting toys? According to the latest CDW IT Monitor, nearly three-quarters of the IT decision makers surveyed thought that the use of tablets and smartphones has led to an increase in productivity within their organization, with 25 percent saying it has improved productivity “significantly.”

Half of all IT decision makers polled felt that the use of tablets and smartphones has led to cost savings in their organizations. Among large businesses, 64 percent of IT decision makers reported that consumer technology adoption has led to savings.

Use of tablets and smartphones in the workplace continues to gain traction, according to the report. Although larger enterprises are most likely to adopt these technologies (62 percent), nearly half of small businesses reported tablet use (47 percent), and among those not currently using tablets, 31 percent said they plan to do so in the next six months.

Overall, the Apple iOS is most preferred operating system, with 61 percent of IT decision makers choosing it. Google’s open-source Android operating system (24 percent) and Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Tablet OS (9 percent) followed as distant second and third preferences. The most common use for tablets was for sales or sales representatives (48 percent), replacing printed materials (36 percent) and workgroup collaboration (32 percent).

“Tablet computer data uncovered in the latest IT Monitor proves that tablets and other consumer technologies certainly have their place in the work environment,” Neal Campbell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for CDW said in a statement. “As more organizations allow tablet computers and smartphones in the workplace, it will be important for IT decision makers to ensure the technology can truly improve productivity, be integrated into their IT infrastructure and be protected through IT security solutions.”

The report indicated the IT solutions spending outlook remained steady overall, with the information technology industry most optimistic about IT budget increases in the next six months (59 percent), followed by the health care industry (53 percent). When it comes to hiring, the IT and health care industries were most optimistic about their six-month staffing outlook, projecting 6- and 7-point increases in hiring, respectively.

Half the organizations surveyed said they anticipate overall budget increases in the next six months, with just 8 percent saying they expect to make budget cuts. Government and small business IT decision makers led the wave of IT spending, expecting double-digit growth in their budgets and IT solutions purchases, a jump of 15 percentage points to 50 and 36 percent, respectively.

“We are very encouraged to see a tremendous amount of optimism from small business and local government IT decision makers. Small business is considered a key driver of our economy,” Campbell said. “We anticipate that, as the economic environment continues to improve, organizations will confidently invest in technology services and solutions to increase productivity, efficiency and gain additional advantages over their competitors.”

Read more at eWeek.