Testing iPad for corporate use

[mwchristopher]

Hi Everyone,

I'm an IT tech support manager for a large corporate IT software company in the midwest. I'm testing the iPads with various productivity software applications to determine their viability as possible laptop replacements for various groups within our organization.

We are venturing into the cloud to determine how easily (loosely spoken) we might be able to use the iPad with Office apps, etc., as well as to use them with Salesforce.Com.

We will begin by testing Microsoft 365, of which there currently isn't a MS Office product that supports the iPad yet. Microsoft isn't saying, but I think they are going to wait until their MS tablet is made available early next year (go figure, eh?)

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to get a headstart by testing apps with Google Apps (our second beta test).

The office applications we are currently testing with Google Apps are the Quickoffice 1.2.0 Mobile Suite.

Other apps we are testing for use are:

Apple Pages, Numbers, and Keynote
GoodReader (which supports PDF's, as well as many office docs)
Noteability (Microsoft Notes-like product)
zipThat (to support zipped file)

I'll post the good, the bad, and the ugly as I venture into this jungle.

Meanwhile, if any of you are trying the same things, please post a reply. I'd love to find out some of the "gotchas" before I run into them.

More to come...

 

[deckyon]

You may want to add Documents To Go Premium ($16) and supports the same documents as Apple's Suite but also natively supports different Cloud options - Google, DropBox, Box.net.

Goodreader should be on every iPad to begin with.

 

[Wakawaka]

I too soon be using the iPad and cloud for my mobile office work. I'll report any findings, tips, and ideas.

 

[haggisgirl]

You may want to add Documents To Go Premium ($16) and supports the same documents as Apple's Suite but also natively supports different Cloud options - Google, DropBox, Box.net.

Goodreader should be on every iPad to begin with.

+1 on Documents to Go Premium. I use that app to sync documents with Dropbox to my Ipad, PC, laptop and HTC HD2 phone. It was one of the first apps I downloaded and one I use the most when traveling.

 

[USBill]

Don't overthink things. Develop your corporate apps in HTML 5 and keep them behind the firewall.

Get 3G iPads and use VPN to get to them from outside into the office.

Install Jump Desktop for RDP access to Terminal Server with your standard Windows Apps (I can run AutoCAD 2009 this way. I wouldn't, but I can!).

For documents you must take with you, Documents To Go. They've been doing the mobile thing since last century.

 

[iPadCTO]

USBill is right - Jump is the best demoting app. Review here - Jump Desktop Delivers Exceptional Remote Access Performance, High Productivity

You'll find some helpful articles about iPad in business at iPadCTO.com, specifically this one concerning one person's productivity study.

iPad Agility Creates Surprising Increase In Productivity Over iPhone and Laptop

 

[musiman]

If you're interested in pdf's and annotations, I use iAnnotate on the iPad and it works great! With iAnnotate you can put remarks in a pdf and email it from within the app, for further review by someone else.
I also use mobile mouse and touchpad HD for using the iPad as a remote keyboard / mouse. Especially when I use Powerpoint for my presentations it's handy.