CIOs Advised to Manage the Tablet Surge
Tablet mania is taking the enterprise by storm
CIOs Advised to Manage the Tablet Surge - With the recent introduction of the iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, RIM PlayBook, and new versions of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, tablet mania is taking the enterprise by storm.
A major research fim estimates that 69.8 million media tablets will be shipped in 2011, and analysts and forward-thinking tech managers say it's time for IT execs to do more than simply take notice of that surge.
As with the iPhone before it, the iPad is cropping up in all corners of the enterprise, brought in by C-level execs, sales folks and worker bees who purchased the device for personal use and, now hooked, are hungry to use it on the job.
Regardless of whether staffers work on their own tablets or are given corporate-issued gear, the influx means IT needs a systematic approach for managing, tracking, securing and supporting these devices, just like they do for any other corporate computing platform.
Specifically, Janco Associates advises CIOs to do the following:
- Craft or amend usage policies to enforce security best practices for tablets, including use of multilevel passwords and device certificates, and the ability to remotely wipe the device if it is lost or stolen.
- Establish tiered access to network resources to secure critical data and applications.
- Re-architect application delivery mechanisms.
- Determine what levels of support IT will provide, depending on whether units are owned by the employee or the company.
