Tablets, with the advantages of portability and mobile applications, have joined desktops and laptops as popular ways to access the internet for small businesses.

The recent 2012 Small Business Technology Poll conducted by a major mobile provider shows that 67 percent of small businesses now use tablet computers in their regular business operations, up 10 percentage points from 2011. Ninety-six percent of small business owners indicated that they depend on wireless technologies for their firms.

Many tablet applications are essential to small business owners, and as industry expert Frank Dickson notes, "email is by far the most dominant tablet application for business users." Seventy-seven percent of enterprise tablet users identified email as the most common workplace function, followed by note taking, in recent NPD In-Stat study. Other important tablet uses included IT network intelligence and customer relationship management.

Of those who use tablets in the workplace, approximately 22 percent said their devices were paid for by the company. Additionally, there is a notable positive correlation between the use of 3G-enabled tablets and business travel frequency.