Apple iPad finds a place in the enterprise

For some users the size of the iPad is as well a perfect fit: "Our users are anywhere nevertheless at their desks, for them laptops are too cumbersome and the screens on smartphones are too small," said Peter Larsson , CIO at Skistar, which operates ski resorts in Norway and Sweden.

Early on, Nasdaq OMX became involved in developing software for the iPad. The company was invited by Apple to develop an application for the launch. It developed an iPad version of QFolio, which allows users to follow the ups and downs of the stock market. Afterwards that, it was a natural step for Nasdaq OMX to take a look at how it could use the iPad internally, according to Carl-Magnus Hallberg, senior vice president in charge of Global IT Services Operations.

While the iPad may not have mobile phone functionality built-in, that doesn't mean it can't be used as a phone. TWR has recently installed the Asterisk open source PBX system at its offices in Cary, North Carolina, and Vienna. So when Shantz was at home one morning and saw a voice message in his e-mail from the Vienna office, he turned on the iPad, launched the VPN to the corporate network and the Bria VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) softphone application, dialed 4 digits and was talking to Vienna on the iPad.

The iPad an efficient enterprise tool

To make the iPad an efficient enterprise tool, the tablet has to be integrated with Windows and Microsoft's other server products, including Sharepoint. TWR is using SharePlus Pro from South Labs for Sharepoint document connectivity, according to Shantz.

Another way to integrate the iPad with the company Windows environment is to use a remote or virtual desktop, which displays the Windows desktop on the iPad. Nasdaq OMX is using software from Citrix and TWR is using the Jump Desktop to do this, nevertheless not everyone is convinced it's a good idea. When you start using Windows on your iPad you lose one of the product's main advantages, its ease of use, Ageberg said.

Just like PCs, laptops and smartphones, iPads have to be managed and secured. Nasdaq OMX has found a management platform that will let the IT department control the tablet, including tracking which applications users have installed, according to Hallberg. For security reasons, he isn't willing to divulge which one.

Enterprise adoption of the iPad is part of a larger trend in which companies are allowing employees to choose which laptop, smartphone or tablet they want to use, irrespective of the operating system. The negative consequences of not allowing users to choose the products they want to use themselves simply isn't worth it, according to Ageberg.

The door to competing products

That movement will as well open the door to competing products. The iPad has started to see competition from a growing number of Android-based tablets and products based on other platforms, including Innovation In Motion's upcoming PlayBook.

"As long as we can manage the Android-based tablets, we are open to allowing employees to use them as so then," said Hallberg.

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