iPad trend has 'massive downside'

Technology solutions company Gijima's enterprise-wide deployment of iPads is not practical since tablets can only complement, rather than replace PCs within the enterprise environment, say analysts.

However, this will not stop enterprise-wide tablet deployments from becoming a trend in the “post-PC era”.

Gijima on Wednesday promised that all 3 700 of its employees would receive iPad 2s in the next six months through an agreement with Apple distributor Core.

“It is a brave and adventurous step for a large company to take, but also one that will be a great proof of concept of tablets as enterprise tools,” says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck.

However, Michael Jordaan, CEO of First National Bank, says new technology can kill a business if it chooses not to integrate technology and ask how it can use technology in innovative ways.

“You don't want to go changing your entire business... just because of a new disruptive technology, which shakes the way business works... you want to work with it and successfully integrate technology into your existing business.”

Gijima CEO Jonas Bogoshi says factory and mine managers, for example, will be able to access production information in real-time.

“They will have the information required for decision-making and that's where the iPad will be used, for business intelligence.”

He adds that very few people use laptops or PCs to their full extent so, if employees do need to use one, they can book it out from the company for limited periods of time.

It has already developed a Gijima iMag app for internal communication and about seven more will be developed for the internal enterprise app store before the end of the year.

Gijima cites the trend into the 'consumerisation' of IT as the motivation for this move.

Financial director Carlos Ferreira says research has shown that 1% of devices will be tablet-based by 2011 and 30% by 2015 in the enterprise space and that's why this collaboration with Core makes sense.

Rodney Ichikowitz, CEO of Core Group SA, says the corporate trend of 100% deployment of tablets is a widespread phenomenon.

“There's no question we're moving into a post-PC era. We're going to see a trend towards consumerisation of IT.”

Deftereos says there is a growing number of communities that are being created internally, as well as with clients.

“This is another trend that justifies this move, apart from the consumerisation of IT. We are making sure that if we don't own clients' devices we have an ability to engage with them in a completely different way.”

Goldstuck says the advantages of a deployment like Gijima's are low-cost for entry-level versions, easy standardisation, and a flat learning curve.

“The downside, however, is massive. A virtual keyboard is not an ideal working environment for anyone producing complex documents or working on even simple spreadsheets. The extent to which the iPad still has to be synchronised with other devices and with iTunes is also a major obstacle, although one that can be overcome.”

He adds that it also needs various adaptors to make it an effective storage device.

WWW Strategy MD Steven Ambrose also says the iPad's main advantages are portability and mobility, but it's not suitable for office workers who use their computers for day-to-day tasks like accounting and finance, or more advanced technical processes.

“In short, it is a device that is very cool for consuming information and media, but awful for producing and managing same, and complex to bring up to the functionality of a laptop,” says Goldstuck.

Security will also present a challenge for IT departments. Other tablets are taking enterprise security into account from the start.

“For Apple, it's an afterthought, and that will be a problem in terms of allowing unsecured devices into a secure environment.”

Ambrose says IT departments are already facing the challenge of multiple consumer-style devices connecting to their networks.

“The manufacturers of these devices are making the necessary tools and systems available to smooth this integration, as many see the merging of consumer and corporate technology. Going forward, more and more consumer-style devices will become more corporate IT department-friendly, and vice versa, until the differentiation between consumer and corporate technology will be irrelevant.”

Despite the shortcomings, Goldstuck says such a deployment is already a trend among corporations for two reasons.

“One, the CEO or senior executives have got their iPads and, because their roles entail them consuming documents rather than producing them, it seems like the greatest computing device they've ever used. They become enthused and even evangelistic about it, and want everyone else to share their experience.”

The second reason can be attributed to the “cool” factor of a tablet. “It tends to be very seductive when you have to choose between upgrading laptops to newer versions of the same boring devices, or rolling out iPads.”

The deployment of mobile devices and tablets within corporates will continue to accelerate, along with the creation of single function apps, says Ambrose.

“The traditional computer will not go away, but the mobile tablet style device will extend the reach of the traditional desktop, or laptop, considerably further. Mobility is a huge trend for corporates going forward, coupled with cloud-style computing, both private and public.”