The US Justice Department is currently testing encryption software –
Good for Enterprise – iOS and LRW’s Pinecone – to determine if it is suitable for transmitting sensitive data via government-issued iPads.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) may receive up to 4,000 iPads from Apple for use with teleworking, according to The Washington Post. Currently, 80 percent of ATF employees are eligible for teleworking.
The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) gave all government agencies 90 days to explore new technologies and solutions to reduce costs and increase the number of employees working from home. An astounding 1,000,000 Federal employees are eligible to telework, which is more than half, while currently only 10% do so.
This could be huge for Apple if the OMB approves an encryption solution for iOS devices. The big loser would be the currently supported RIM BlackBerry, which is already in a market share slide.