Feature: Deploying iPads? Think of the big device management picture
 |
Reed spoke to an audience of approximately 1,000 healthcare IT professionals, most of whom reported that their organizations are already deploying iPads or will within the next six months in healthcare networks.
However, questions remain about how it will be utilized in the healthcare setting. “Nobody’s sure what they’re going to do with it, but they know they need it,” said Reed. However, Apple’s device is gaining traction among caregivers in various points of care in the field, and “as organizations look to implement EMRs, there will be a lot of use, we believe, of iPad use in that space,” he added.
“iPad and other kinds of tablets are going to permeate the [healthcare] enterprise. We’re seeing iPads fly into the enterprise the way other mobile devices have in other industries over the years.”
The two key elements to consider when mobilizing the enterprise, especially with tablets, are service managment and lifecycle management, said Reed. A control-oriented mobile service management approach can deliver security, and a certain amount of change management as well. "What you’re really doing is you’re changing around business processes and how your hospital systems work," he said. "You need to understand and think about a full service management approach.
As for lifecycle management, think about TALC, or the complete technology adoption lifecycle, when adopting devices and application services for the long term," said Reed.
His advice was timely--a webinar audience poll revealed that more than a third of the listeners are currently adopting iPads and roughly a third intend to deploy them in the coming six months.
When it comes to managing iPads and other smart devices, there are four vectors, according to Reed:
- User community: "Virtually anyone in a hospital setting could wind up with a smartphone or smart device or tablet. Are you replacing PCs, or are you doubling the number of endpoints ... and how are you going to support that?" he asked.
- Device portfolio: "As much as you might like to restrict [device support] … in the new world, there is a lot of interest in various devices. You’re likely to see five to 20 different devices in your enterprise."
- Mobile platforms and the underlying infrastructure: “There’s a whole variety of plumbing items that you might be using,” he said.
- Applications: In the beginning, “you’ll probably have one or two killer apps but odds are pretty good, once you start with that smart device, you’ll have a series of apps on it that you’ll have to deal with.”
“We believe every medical setting is going to have to deal with this by 2013,” he said. “It’s a highly complex, multivector challenge,” but a unified management approach will allow organizations to manage all these different devices, "whether it’s iPad today or Android tomorrow," from a single point of control.
“As you get into this space, you’ll be hearing more and more about mobile service management."
You might also be hearing more about non-Apple mobile devices, said Reed. “While we’re talking today about iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, do not diminish the Android Wave. One of the biggest challenges [with] the iPad today is it’s not really medical-ready. It’s not sealed, it’s not sterilizable, it’s not a ToughBook, it’s not hardened. There’s a lot of interest in Android for these hardened devices, suitable for infectious disease scenarios and things like that.
“So when you’re making your iPad decisions, make sure you think about your future Android decisions so you don’t get locked in,” he said.
It’s also important to consider the entire product lifecycle, not just securing and configuration, he added. “If you’re an IT person on the phone, you’re going to wind up owning it one way or the other.”
Enterprise iPad implementers have a little time to consider TALC because the IOS 4.2 operating system is required for iPads to have security and compliance capabilities—isn't here yet. It is expected to ship in the next 30 to 60 days, said Reed.