[rmc00]

It's pretty exciting to see the iPad coming to the enterprise. I've heard that the company I work for released them to executives a few weeks ago, and it sounds like we're not alone. What's really exciting though is how the enterprise desktop space is on the edge of some big changes.

In the past, workers sat in one location and worked in a predictable pattern for a set amount of time. Workers weren't very comfortable with technology and needed major support. Moreover, work was pretty task-oriented -- it could be modeled with workflow very easily.

The environment of today is quite a contrast. The location and work hours of users are definitely not predictable. Furthermore, assistance and limited options from the IT department can get in the user's way sometimes. Also, knowledge workers spend a lot of time doing unstructured work -- analysis, brainstorming, design -- which is something that is hard to model.

Clearly, the old model for desktop has to change. I don't think we can throw a few departmental applications with a heap of productivity applications at people and call it a job well done. The iPad's introduction into the enterprise is a start that signifies different kinds of devices can be helpful. Desktop virtualization and the cloud probably have a role to play in all this too. For sure, I'll be interested to see how it all plays out.