Many CIOs are hoping Microsoft’s new Surface tablet, which was unveiled in Los Angeles this week, will be a hit with consumers. In the current BYOD era that would allow them to pretty much standardise on Windows 8 support across the board, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The consumer appeal of new mobile devices such as Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy Tab has caused an upheaval in how people work, and how IT departments are organised to support those employees, the Journal says.

The WSJ quotes Tracey Rothenberger, CIO at Ricoh Americas, as rooting for Microsoft to succeed, because he’s still managing mobile apps built on Windows technology that would be easier to port to a Windows device. “The porting costs are what’s big,” he told CIO Journal.

Rothenberger said he would also consider using Surface tablets as an alternative to laptops or desktops. “If I could take $800 away from the [cost of a] laptop and spend that on a Windows tablet that is almost as capable, now we’re really getting to the point where the tablet can replace the PC,” he said.