
Aruba Networks, Inc. 3
Enabling High-Performance for Apple iPads in the Enterprise Aruba White Paper
iPad Unleashed in Your Enterprise
Apple iPad is more than a great way to experience the web, photos and videos. The #1
reason U.S. consumers would use a tablet device such as Apple iPad is working on the
go, according to a recent Zogby International poll.
People are demanding mobile devices that blend consumer and enterprise functionality.
Information workers – and their employers – are seeing the clear value of iPad for work-
related activities. More than half of Fortune 500 companies bought iPads in the first few
months of their availability. It won’t take long before a smart phone and an iPad are
many workers’ constant companions, leaving the hefty laptop grounded.
A leading luxury car maker is piloting the use of iPads. Salespeople can grab the latest
details on a car and run credit checks from the showroom floor. A premier U.S. bank is
using iPads to approve multi-million wire transfers. Medical professionals use iPads to
view patients’ medical images, health records and access key medical applications. IT managers use iPads to remotely
manage and monitor business-critical systems from anywhere. And without a doubt, universities are filled with students
and professions using iPads as an integral part of everyday learning – and life.
Enterprise IT organizations need to prepare for the wave of iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices arriving on the
shores of the corporate wireless network. The mobile enterprise is indisputably here, and the pace of enterprise adoption
will only accelerate. Laptops outsell desktops. Smart phones are everywhere. Forty-three percent of enterprise workers
use wireless networks, according to Gartner, and that number is expected to rise to 58 percent by 2014.
Challenges of Deploying iPad in the Enterprise
Choosing a wireless LAN (WLAN) solution that will meet the needs of mobile users for the next decade is critical. With
mobile devices fast becoming must-haves for business, IT must ensure that their WLAN infrastructure is ready to meet
new demands for performance, integration, scalability, security and mobility – at the lowest total cost of ownership.
There are five key challenges in an enterprise deployment of iPads:
1. Scalable performance: Wi-Fi performance is particularly important for iPad because Wi-Fi is the only way to
connect. There is no wired Ethernet port to fall back on if WLAN performance is unsatisfying. Designing a high-
density wireless LAN means taking into account that the performance implications of having many iPads, tablets,
smart phones and other Wi-Fi clients in a small area.
2. Ease of integration: iPads use 802.11n technology, and IT needs to ensure that these high-performance devices
will not adversely affect the performance of clients using legacy Wi-Fi technology. To maximize its benefits, iPad
performance needs to be guaranteed in the presence of legacy Wi-Fi technology. Appropriate measures should
be taken to prevent performance degradation on the existing set of wireless devices and applications, and overall
network performance.
3. Strong security. How does enterprise IT ensure that iPad users have convenient access – while ensuring that
sensitive corporate data is protected? iPad was designed for the consumer, but IT must ensure that it can
mitigate the risk of data loss or network compromise to meet growing set of compliance requirements.
4. Mobility with ease: Users expect seamless mobility when using iPad or any other mobile device. IT must ensure
that users can move across the campus without breaking their connection so that productivity will be unimpeded.
5. Maximizing battery life: iPad gets about six hours (in practice) to ten hours (in theory) of battery life. IT must
ensure that network infrastructure is designed to improve the available battery life on iPads to improve end user
experience and productivity.
Comentarios a estos manuales