Is the iPad ready for business?

The latest example is Apple’s iPad.

But once you get past the sexy glitz and glamour of the iPad, the question of whether or not your business can use it effectively still remains.

Several southeastern Wisconsin business owners and tech industry experts say the iPad has some implications that make it good for business, but in its current state, the device cannot fully replace a laptop or desktop computer.

“Things are definitely moving in the direction of the iPad and devices like it, but we aren’t there yet,” said Jacob Scherrer, partner and technical director for Brookfield-based Centare Group. “Early adopters got excited about the new gadget, but most businesses are taking a slow approach to implementing these devices into their practical business functions.”

The problems that plague the iPad are the same problems that businesses who adopted the iPhone encountered, Scherrer said.

“It doesn’t have a local file system. There’s no concept of a desktop,” he said. “It’s challenging for most companies who are used to being able to transfer files with a USB drive or something like it, and there have been some pretty serious matters of security and encryption that so far have limited large scale implementation of the device for larger companies.”

Traditional iPhones and at least the current versions of the iPad do not encrypt e-mail messages, Scherrer said. Anyone that recovers a lost iPad or iPhone that isn’t operating on the new iOS 4 system can, with very little effort, read the emails on the device, he said.

“That is potentially a very dangerous security breach for some companies, particularly those working in the health care or financial services sector,” Scherrer said.

Apple has said it will release the iOS4 system for the iPad later this year. That is supposed to have some basic encryption levels built into it, but that isn’t the case for the models on the market now, Scherrer said.

In the iPad’s current state, Scherrer sees some companies adopting the iPad for very specific tasks, but does not see a lot of companies replacing desktop or laptop computers completely.

“I see people using it more as a digital briefcase,” he said. “It’s great for consuming content, note taking and keeping that information with you. Most companies who have successfully integrated the device into their work flow do so because of the form factor and its mobility.”

Some area businesses are making use of the iPad, or similar devices.

Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa is in the early stages of implementing a pilot program with its electronic medical records vendor for the Apple iTouch and Apple iPad, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare currently uses HP Tablet computers in patient rooms.

Matt Richardson, president at Milwaukee-based Smartwave Consulting LLC, recently converted most of his business operations to a virtual space, and has found that daily use of the Apple iPad 3G works relatively well for him.

“The biggest reason I started using the iPad was because a year ago I made the decision to move my business needs away from the traditional desktop and server based applications on to the web and more cloud based solutions,” Richardson said. “Because I did that, the majority of my business could be accessed from the web or was backed up in a virtual web accessible space.”

For Richardson, the fact that his business is almost entirely web accessible has made a large difference in the convenience of the iPad for him.

“Having the 3G access and not being tethered to the wireless signal on my laptop has made a huge difference,” Richardson said. “I’m able to access the web almost anywhere anytime I want to without having to worry about whether the location is wired for WiFi.”

As more businesses transition into the cloud space, devices like the iPad and tablet computers will become more and more useful for their needs, Richardson said.

“There are some definite limitations in regards to the apps available to do what you need and want them to do,” Richardson said. “E-mail, contacts, calendar and viewing content works well, but some of the applications geared towards creating, editing or project management either don’t exist or aren’t geared for the tablet environment.”

As the application market becomes more saturated with customized developments for businesses the iPad will become more useful, Richardson said.

“As businesses create their own applications to fit their specific needs, and more and more businesses shift towards a cloud based business model, the business implications of the iPad and tablet devices become a lot more useful for more companies,” Richardson said.

As those advancements are made, Richardson predicts that 60 to 70 percent of users will be able to completely replace a desktop or laptop device with a tablet.

Advanced functions like CAD, video or photo editing and graphic professionals or research professionals that require advanced hardware may never transition fully, Richardson said.

“On paper, in its most advanced state, a tablet device like the iPad could probably replace 80 to 90 percent of what most business professionals or individuals do on a daily basis,” Richardson said. “For the foreseeable future, though, most business professionals will probably find a need for the tablet as a supplement to their laptop or desktop device.”