The iPad-Only Executive
Posted on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 @ 09:20 AM
Editor’s Note: The iPad-Only Executive series deep-dives into the daily life of Darin Haines, group president of MCPc’s Advanced Technology Group. For about eight months, Darin has been using his iPad as his only computing device—for phone calls, video conferencing, content production, presentations and more.
In this series of three blog posts, we’ll go through a day in Darin’s life as the iPad-only executive, see the applications that make it all possible, and discuss the backend considerations in securely managing “renegades” like Darin.
A Day in the Life of the iPad-Only Executive
A lot of people ask me, “are you really an iPad-only executive?” It’s the truth. At the end of the day, my iPad is my only computing device. I started using it exclusively about eight months ago because I truly believe that work isn’t a place you go—it’s something you do. The iPad let’s me do work. I believe there's a convergence of market transitions that are significantly affecting where, when and how we work. Moreover, I see a rapidly evolving workspace that is more mobile, virtual, social and visual.
Think it’s not possible? In this post I’ll share with you a day in my business life using the iPad as my only computing device, as well as some of the applications that make it all possible.
Spend a Day with My iPad
Prepare for the day …
6:00 a.m.—Good morning! One of the first things I do is check my email on the iPad…while still in my pajamas!
6:15 a.m.—Open iCal to check what’s scheduled for the day…yes, still in my pajamas, but now with a hot cup of coffee in hand!
6:30 a.m.—Launch my NYTimes and WSJ apps to catch up on daily headlines and news for the morning.
6:45 a.m.—What should I wear today? There’s a GQ app for that.
Check-in to work …
8:00 a.m.—If I’m on the road, which is typically a couple of weeks a month, (likely booked through my United Air app), I’ll fire up our virtual private network (VPN) client to log into MCPc’s corporate network.
8:30 a.m.—Launch Cisco Mobile to catch up on voicemails and calls for the morning.
9:00-11:00 a.m.—Launch Citrix Receiver to see our CRM, run through opportunities in the pipeline, catch up on where we are from a work-order perspective, and access the Microsoft productivity suite of applications that I may need
Throughout the Business Day—OpenAir to file traveling expenses; Keynote to create or modify presentations for clients; Pages for proposals; Cisco WebEx conferences to communicate via video to our teams.
Take a personal break …
4:00 pm.—Check-in with Gracie, my 5-year-old daughter, via FaceTime to see how her day at school went.
Close shop …
4:30 p.m.—Check-in with LinkedIn, Facebook and more for social networking that happened throughout the day.
Post-Dinner—HBO Go to catch up on my favorite series and movies; FaceTime with Gracie again, likely read her a bedtime story.
Before Bed—Launch Nimsoft to see our entire corporate network and identify any issues about which I may need to alert the corporate team.
The iPad does a great job of bringing together my personal and work lives. Everything I need to make it through the day lives on, or can be accessed through this one device. The form factor of the iPad makes it simple and easy for me to communicate anytime from anywhere.
Your challenge: Can you go one full day using your iPad or tablet as your only computing device?
Check out some of the applications included in the timeline above to ease the transition, or look for my next blog post, Winning Applications for the iPad-Only Executive, for more details on how to use the right applications to make life as an iPad-only executive a reality.
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Darin Haines is Group President of MCPc's Advanced Technology Group, focusing on solution delivery, and has over 16 years of experience in leading the technology function in mid-sized and enterprise-level organizations. Connect with Darin on LinkedIn.
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