According to a new survey by MeriTalk, technology managers in the federal government project that 20 percent of their employees will use tablets for work by 2013. Already, nearly half of federal workers rely on laptops to get their jobs done, and that number is expected to hold strong.

But mobility isn’t just for the federal government; state and local agencies are leading the way.

In 2011, the state of Wyoming adopted Google’s cloud computing solutions for 10,000 employees, which will save the state more than $1 million a year and improve collaboration and connectivity between their in-office and mobile workforces.

In Michigan, the Department of Human Services provided laptops and camera-equipped smartphones to over 2,000 of its social workers, allowing them to complete work faster, more accurately and at a lower travel cost.

San Diego County declared that “mobile government (mGov) is the next logical step toward service improvement and effective response to economic and other pressures” in its strategic IT report.

So what’s holding some agencies back?

According to a Washington Post report, a variety of tablets and smartphones were allowed for federal government use just last year, a bold move from the RIM Blackberry-only policy that Washington held staunchly to before. Even President Obama carries a tablet device.

Federal, state and local agencies can expect to realize many benefits from a mobility program, including cost savings, increased productivity and improved citizen service. However, many agencies are not fully prepared for the very costly risks.