# Canadian Government Officials May Get iPads



## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

The Ottawa Sun has reported that the Canadian government is considering equipping federal officials with iPads to reduce paper and printing costs and that there is already a pilot project taking place in which 20 iPads are in use by treasury board workers.

According to the Sun article, officials reasoning behind the endeavour, is that the iPad could save hundreds of dollars a year in paper and printing costs with some senior officials getting a binder full of about 30 pages of briefing notes daily. The iPad is considered attractive over laptops because they are lightweight, user-friendly, have long-lasting batteries, and have easy to use built-in note-taking capability. 

The report follows several similar reports of Government officials using iPads for their business, also attracted by the costs savings on paper and printing alone. In November, CBC News reported that Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and his cabinet of 17 ministers were each issued an iPad. It was estimated that the annual costs savings could amount to about twice that of the initial outlay with estimates that the Premier's office alone would save about 68 boxes of paper a year. 

The reports shed significant light on Apple's inroads into new business markets with the iPads. When Apple released the iPod, analyst referred to it as a 'Trojan Horse' that fuelled the heavy migration of consumer Windows users to the Mac platform. I think Apple may just have a new 'Trojan Horse' on their hands with the iPad making many inroads into Government and business use. Anyone notice the new iPad Enterprise section on Apple's iPad Support section? Similarly, Apple also launched a new iPad in Business section on their site this summer with profiles on businesses using iPad in their day-to-day operations.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I can't imagine more than a few individuals saving enough paper in any one year to justify the cost of an iPad.


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## Fuji (Feb 24, 2005)

Macfury said:


> I can't imagine more than a few individuals saving enough paper in any one year to justify the cost of an iPad.


I hear ya, but if it replaced their laptops as well...

Mr. Mayor: Interesting article. Thanks.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Fuji said:


> I hear ya, but if it replaced their laptops as well...


If the laptop saved no paper, then paper saving isn't the issue though.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Maybe they didn't hear about the .wwf file format.


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## powerman (Sep 3, 2010)

The binders of paper that go through gov't is a lot. Every little change to a bill they have to send a new copy out to every minister. The ipad is working good in sask from what I have seen. Plus a move into the modern world for our gov't is not a bad thing.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

powerman said:


> The binders of paper that go through gov't is a lot. Every little change to a bill they have to send a new copy out to every minister. The ipad is working good in sask from what I have seen. Plus a move into the modern world for our gov't is not a bad thing.


As Macfury stated above if that were true the laptop would have done that, better yet a computer would of done that, read it on screen instead of paper, but it hasn't curtailed any usage of paper. Even here no matter how good of a screen someone has or how many they still print it out to read it and mark it then makes changes on the screen. I could never understand that and these people call themselves green. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

No matter what they do and say paper will always be used, they want a hardcopy. I just wonder when this will change.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Exactly. I'd be willing to guess that every single one of these guys already have a laptop, and that this is nothing more than a way to get them another free toy. Believe me, ipad or not, there will be a significant number of these guys wanting hard copies anyway, or requesting iPad compatible printers for their offices.


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## Atroz (Aug 7, 2005)

Apple needs to address their lack of 3rd party security certification. They have no FIPS 140 or Common Criteria evaluation at this time. Demand is putting a lot of pressure on the Government to accept them anyway and Apple seems to know it.


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## pcronin (Feb 20, 2005)

Yeah.. We're talking about old men here. If it's not hard copy it doesn't exist. Desktop, laptop, ipad, doesn't matter. It's a fundamental thought process that needs to change. 


I do enjoy how the feds are getting new toys when the (at least NB) prov has to slash major $ from budgets (including Educational).


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## SD-B (Oct 28, 2009)

:-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(


    


if I didnt laugh so hard, Id be crying at the absurdity of this ipad grab


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## greydoggie (Apr 21, 2009)

I don't see it happening. Anything they can read on it they can read on a normal computer.


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## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

pcronin said:


> I do enjoy how the feds are getting new toys when the (at least NB) prov has to slash major $ from budgets (including Educational).


First thing I thought was "My tax dollars at work...".


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

I have to wonder how the IT people within the government are planning on administrating these things. We are currently running an ipad test project at work (financial company) with the hopes of putting these in the hands of all financial advisors. Unfortunately, there is no tool like "Remote Desktop" that would allow IT to configure these things in mass. There is no way of buying volume licenses and deploying them. Every user needs to have an itunes account, purchase & install their own software. Security wise its not ready for the corporate world.


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## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

andreww said:


> I have to wonder how the IT people within the government are planning on administrating these things. We are currently running an ipad test project at work (financial company) with the hopes of putting these in the hands of all financial advisors. Unfortunately, there is no tool like "Remote Desktop" that would allow IT to configure these things in mass. There is no way of buying volume licenses and deploying them. Every user needs to have an itunes account, purchase & install their own software. Security wise its not ready for the corporate world.


Is there a tool like the iPhone Configuration Utility that would let you deploy security certs and ad-hoc applications?


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

John Clay said:


> Is there a tool like the iPhone Configuration Utility that would let you deploy security certs and ad-hoc applications?


Yeah, but according to our IT guy its very limited as to what it can do. I think Blackberry's tablet will likely be better suited to the corporate world unfortunately.


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## ertman (Jan 15, 2008)

I also do not see that this iPad purchase is a way of saving the taxpayer money. However, it could allow them to be more productive, but it will likely end up wasting more productivity on apps like angry birds.


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## pcronin (Feb 20, 2005)

andreww said:


> I have to wonder how the IT people within the government are planning on administrating these things. We are currently running an ipad test project at work (financial company) with the hopes of putting these in the hands of all financial advisors. Unfortunately, there is no tool like "Remote Desktop" that would allow IT to configure these things in mass. There is no way of buying volume licenses and deploying them. Every user needs to have an itunes account, purchase & install their own software. Security wise its not ready for the corporate world.


This is the nightmare in any corp or edu environment. @fraserspiers on twitter has 120ish ipads deployed k-8(maybe 12) in a private school in Scotland. His blog talks about a lot of these issues. 



John Clay said:


> Is there a tool like the iPhone Configuration Utility that would let you deploy security certs and ad-hoc applications?





andreww said:


> Yeah, but according to our IT guy its very limited as to what it can do. I think Blackberry's tablet will likely be better suited to the corporate world unfortunately.


Ah the good ol' RIM tablet. What about that new Motorola thing? Or the supposed 7" ipad2? At least with the convertible tablet PCs, they're running an OS where the IT dept can maintain and control them. 

Either way, we're talking about giving one of the most cutting edge devices of the last several decades to a bunch of people that think it's a GOOD IDEA to levy a tax on blank media "just in case" someone is a pirate. A group of people that would still be using AOL "internet" if it still existed (or does it?).

You can give a full set of SnapOn tools to someone, but that doesn't make them able to change their own spark plugs.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

greydoggie said:


> I don't see it happening. Anything they can read on it they can read on a normal computer.


It's cumbersome to read on a computer while you're having a taxpayer-expensed lunch at a fancy restaurant. An iPad is much more suited to this purpose. 

Seriously, I think you are confusing technology with form factor as being the stumbling block. These guys don't sit at their desk all day reading a computer screen. They have meetings, they travel around a lot. An iPad is likely much more suitable than a desktop computer or even a laptop. It also more closely resembles holding a printed document, and in many cases, is lighter.

This could work well, if the infrastructure to support it is developed properly.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

andreww said:


> Yeah, but according to our IT guy its very limited as to what it can do. I think Blackberry's tablet will likely be better suited to the corporate world unfortunately.


The Configuration Utility, along with an Enterprise account, allows them to completely bypass the individual users having to get iTunes accounts. It solves the problem. Security provisions, encryption, etc. don't really matter, as today they're carrying around printed material. Printed material has no security provisions or encryption.


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## M. Warren (Jan 4, 2002)

hayesk said:


> Seriously, I think you are confusing technology with form factor as being the stumbling block. These guys don't sit at their desk all day reading a computer screen. They have meetings, they travel around a lot. An iPad is likely much more suitable than a desktop computer or even a laptop. It also more closely resembles holding a printed document, and in many cases, is lighter.


Agreed. I always hated reading long documents on a laptop so I'd often print them out 4 pages per page, but still with some shame involved). This was especially true if I was writing and referring back to the document at the same time. I imagine its worse for those in government. An iPad makes sense to me. 

I still think they're too heavy though.


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## pcronin (Feb 20, 2005)

hayesk said:


> The Configuration Utility, along with an Enterprise account, allows them to completely bypass the individual users having to get iTunes accounts. It solves the problem. Security provisions, encryption, etc. don't really matter, as today they're carrying around printed material. Printed material has no security provisions or encryption.


Since I can't seem to find a direct link on Apple's site with $ numbers, there could be a price issue that scales with amount of users. Or it could be the Enterprise Config Util is just a lame duck. I don't know, I don't have access to such things unfortunately. Though I probably would have if the budgets hadn't been slashed


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## vo1gxg (Oct 10, 2010)

The City of Mount Pearl here in Newfoundland equipped their council with iPads, seems to be working well for them!


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

The underlying process that causes paper use has to change before this type of thing can be fully successful. Years ago I worked in government and deployed handheld applications on palm pilot type devices. It worked until you had to print something and have someone sign it....so we need to have another way of "signing".


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## luigino (Sep 1, 2006)

MBD said:


> The underlying process that causes paper use has to change before this type of thing can be fully successful. Years ago I worked in government and deployed handheld applications on palm pilot type devices. It worked until you had to print something and have someone sign it....so we need to have another way of "signing".


PDF documents can be electronically "signed" ... and FYI, such signatures are accepted IN CANADA as legally binding... with the same force and legal effect as a physically signed "pen and paper doument". 

WRT this original post, it's just an excuse for the politcians to get new toys. 

I would guess that no sooner they have 'em in hand it will be time to 'upgrade" to the IPad 2 ... thanks to your friendly taxpayer.:heybaby:


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## eggman (Jun 24, 2006)

luigino said:


> PDF documents can be electronically "signed" ... and FYI, such signatures are accepted IN CANADA as legally binding... with the same force and legal effect as a physically signed "pen and paper doument".


Sorry if this takes the thread too far off topic but do you have any citations to back that up? Up until quite recently I was working in a related field and there were still disputes regarding faxed signatures - let alone digital ones. Thanks.

Regarding the iPads... as a taxpayer I am somewhat concerned. Is it the government's job to be on the technical or fashionable "cutting edge" of things - or should they stick to stuff that works? (there's an interesting debate buried in there - where does the stuff that just works become a labor saving and valuable tool and how do we measure that?)


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## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

While I can't speak to the "legally binding" aspect, one of our vendors requires a signature for proof approval. As we don't use a fax machine, they'll email a PDF, I'll sign it in Photoshop with a tablet, then email it back. They're aware of my methodology & are satisfied.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Just an update to this story, I just saw *this article* in the Globe and Mail. 



> Security experts trusted by the federal government are warning that Conservative cabinet ministers should stop using iPads after new research found the popular devices are easily hacked.
> 
> The warning comes on the heels of a major cyber attack that targeted Canada’s financial information at Finance Canada and Treasury Board.
> 
> ...


*Full story here. *


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## milhaus (Jun 1, 2004)

In other news, all iPads will be engraved with "Property of the Harper Government." ;-)


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Well Day has a point, you can't password encrypt a physical document that might be commandeered but the iPad still has that password lock on the device. So in his description, it's certainly more secure than a stack of binders and no less secure than any othe laptop.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

gmark2000 said:


> Well Day has a point, you can't password encrypt a physical document that might be commandeered but the iPad still has that password lock on the device. So in his description, it's certainly more secure than a stack of binders and no less secure than any othe laptop.


You can most certainly encrypt documents on the iPad as long as you have an app to decrypt them when you need them. iPads also have VPN capabilities to securely connect over the Internet. Perhaps the way they are using them today is not secure, but the comments after the globe article are laughably ignorant.


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## pcronin (Feb 20, 2005)

Ug. I love technical articles written by non technical people. WiFi iPads connected to WPA2 Enterprise networks with all data on the secure fileservers pretty much negates any issue with "jail break" attacks. of course, all it takes is the employee calling the admins asap when they realize they've "misplaced" the iPad and a remote wipe takes care of it. I assume this is what the medical folks do in hospitals with the patient data. 

I am glad this article gives the names of the firms that make these claims.


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## pcronin (Feb 20, 2005)

Plus my girl just tried and if you set to "complex" password, it brings up the full keyboard and lets you put in as long of an alphanumeric password as you care to. So if the iOS on the iPad does the same, that makes the point moot about the 4 number password being weak.


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