Why IT needs to stop worrying and learn to love the iPad (and other tablets)

On Resentment: No IT department in their right mind acts because "users might resent us if we don't". You try to make the users as happy as possible but resentment is part of the job. Because people discover cool things all the time that just aren't feasible given a corporate environment (web based office suites are the perfect example of something users want and I'd love to implement but since the data privacy guarantees aren't what they need to be it can't be done).

On Functionality: So far we've found the iPad doesn't present many functionality gains. The approach I've taken is a "try before you buy" strategy. Which is I have an iPad that I lend to people who want one. In order to get it they have to give me their laptops. Then after a week if they want to keep the iPad in place of their laptop I let them. Thus far no one's kept the iPad. Mainly because it lacks a full version of office and it lacks Flash.

That's not to say there aren't uses. We've deployed 5 iPads at this point to people who just needed to view their data using Box.Net. But those were people who didn't already have a laptop and we still get complaints about the iPad's limited functionality (even ofter loading the full iWork suite)

To drive home the point let me quickly address his individual scenarios...

Constant Connectivity: Users who need this are better served with smartphones. Constant Connectivity doesn't help if the person chooses to leave the iPad in their car because they don't want to carry it around.

Data Access: This is the only point I agree with

form-based data entry: In our tests a person who can type 80 wpm drops to 13 on an iPad. So unless those forms are really, really short this isn't a valid point (though I've been testing a Motorola Xoom because it has Voice Recognition accessible in every app and the results are promising)

simple note taking: Again see the previous point. The notes better be very short.

Presentations: Even though the amount of work to transfer a presentation to an iPad is reasonably small it's still more work than unplugging your laptop, shutting the clamshell and carrying it to the conference room. Plus, in my experience most people finish their presentations about 30 seconds before the meeting anyway.

People think IT policy making is like this: Secret IT meeting... "Take away all hardware that's remotely useful, because we don't want to do any more work!"... or alternatively "keep the equipment old and buggy to justify our existence!" /twirls mustache

When IT policy making is really like this:

IT: "Hey management it would be fun to try out some new cloud/tablet/virtualization/SaaS etc..."

Management: "Is the cost greater than $0?"

IT: "Well yes for setup, but we could save-"

Management: "Denied"

And after managment reads this article it's:

Management: "Hey IT support tablets now!"

IT: "Can we drop support for Laptops?"

Management: "No! Of course not!"

IT: "Can we hire someone to help now that we'll have three devices for every mobile user? (phone, laptop, tablet)"

Management: "Nope! Just work more unpaid overtime."

IT: "It will cost some money to build backup/recovery capabilities into these devices."

Management: "No budget changes, we're in a spending freeze."

IT: "Then you won't be able to read employee email that they send/receive on their iPad then."

Management: "NO IPADS ALLOWED!!!!"

His blog - http://speirs.org/ - covers both the shortcomings and positives of the rollout. In general it seems to be a qualified success (in particular from a management standpoint versus laptops of any kind).

Cegedim, Veeva, ... iPad solutions are available and much sought after.

The old school tablet pc is dead in that vertical.