Apple Prepares iPad for the Enterprise

In the 1990s, some of Microsoft’s software products were not considered for wide enterprise usage.  Take SQL Server, for example.  It was okay for small departmental solutions, but for large amounts of data you had to use Oracle or DB2.  Microsoft changed all of that and became a major corporate IT vendor.

Watch Apple do something similar with the iPad.  Readers of my blog have commented that Apple is just a consumer company and will not really get into the corporate enterprise computing arena. 

I think the times they are a changing. 

Here is an indication that Apple is serious about winning in both the consumer and enterprise markets.  In November 2010, Apple will release the new iOS 4.2 operating system for the iPad.

Apple is adding the following corporate features to their tablet computer: 

• Data Protection (encrypted e-mails, attachments, and API calls)
• Wireless App Distribution (your company’s very own WiFi App Store)
• Improved Corporate Mail (better support for Microsoft Exchange)
• Mobile Device Management (like how IT locked down business mobile phones)
• SSL VPN Support (secure connections to enterprise resources)
• WiFi Printing (background Print Center applications)

Of course, Apple isn’t the only tablet maker eyeing the enterprise.  Microsoft and HP want their mobile products selling inside corporations and are sure to announce similar enterprise features.  Apple needed to preempt those guys. 

The bottom line here is that mobile tablet business computing is coming to your organization! 

Are you ready?