“The new Apple iPad, which sports a higher-resolution screen, a 1080p HD camera and LTE network capability, will likely entice millions of buyers — but it could bog down corporate networks and give IT managers headaches,” Matt Hamblen reports for Computerworld.
“Here’s a scenario that could give network managers pause: iPad owners looking to avoid downloading high-definition videos or movies over LTE (to avoid steep data costs) may instead do so over Wi-Fi at work,” Hamblen reports. “And another: What happens when those with Wi-Fi-only iPads all decide to download iOS or application updates at the same time?”
Hamblen reports, “The Wi-Fi download burden on corporate networks could be severe, experts said. That’s especially true for a company’s branch office, where perhaps 20 to 100 workers are sharing the capacity of a typical T-1 line functioning at 1.544Mbps, experts said. Even a few users simultaneously downloading apps and videos on their new iPads could eat up bandwidth capacity in a smaller office, delaying other vital data transmissions, said Ed O’Connell, senior product manager for WAN optimization products at Blue Coat Systems.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If a bunch of iPads bring your network to a crawl, then you need to fire your resident IT doofus and get somebody in there who knows WTF they’re doing – along with real connectivity (100 workers on a single T1 line, seriously?), modern Wi-Fi gear, etc. Likely that’s precisely what Ed O’Connell, senior product manager for WAN optimization products at Blue Coat Systems, would like you to do, too.