Spurred by enthusiastic senior executives and rank-and-file employees, companies are starting to roll out iPads in the enterprise, especially for board meetings and sales staff. New security features from Apple and additional security and management tools from third-party vendors are boosting that effort, but companies are wary of employees' using their own iPads and putting sensitive customer data on the devices.

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer noted that "employee demand for iPad in the corporate environment remains strong," at the company's quarterly earnings call on Jan. 18. "Enterprise CIOs are adding iPad to their approved device list at an amazing rate," Oppenheimer said. "Today, over 80% of the Fortune 100 are already deploying or piloting iPad, up from 65% in the September quarter. Some recent examples include JPMorgan Chase, Cardinal Health, Wells Fargo, Archer Daniels Midland, Sears Holdings and DuPont."

By using virtual desktops from providers like Citrix, companies can give their iPads the same functionality as a desktop or laptop–and with enterprise-grade security.