There is a huge pent-up demand for Microsoft's Surface Pro Windows tablet set to go on sale this month, a survey by a U.S. research firm indicates.

The Forrester Research report says as businesses continue their Bring Your Own Device trends for workers to choose their own computing devices, those workers have expressed a desire for Windows tablets like the Surface over iPads.

Forrester says a survey of 9,766 information technology workers yields numbers that suggest more than 200 million such workers would prefer a Windows tablet, ReadWrite.com reported Monday.

While only 2 percent of the IT workers polled own a Windows tablet, a full 32 percent said they wanted one, easily topping Apple since just 26 percent said they wanted an iPad.

Just 12 percent expressed a desire for an Android tablet, Forrester said.

Already more than a third of workers who bring smartphones and laptops into the office preferred to pick what they wanted themselves rather than what the employer chooses, the survey found.