iPads add a new level of complexity for IT departments

The use of mobile devices in the business world has continued to grow over the last decade. However, the shift kicked into overdrive a few years ago when Apple introduced the iPad and ushered in tablet computing. That added a new level to what was possible with mobile devices, but it also made things more difficult for the IT departments.

A recent CITEworld article profiled the event and how it changed the expectations of what kind of service and support tech departments will be able to deliver. John Mancini, the CEO of AIIM, was interviewed in the piece about this shift in thinking.

"As soon as the CEO got an iPad for Christmas in December 2010, the whole world changed," Mancini said. "All of a sudden those guys were showing up with the IT dept, asking 'What's the matter with you people, why can't you get our systems on a device like this, why can't I use this?'"

Before that moment, IT was testing out systems like the cloud and mobility on their own terms and away from the center of business operations. Now they have been thrust under the bright light and are feeling the pressure of trying to innovate critical business systems.

One way to make this process easier is to partner with an IT consulting firm that understands how to handle an iPad deployment. This allows business decision-makers to lean on the expertise of a third party to implement the complex systems that come along with mobile devices.