Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) isn't keeping up with security, even as the iPad is now being deployed or tested in 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The company's laid-back attitude toward security may be catching up with it now, according to a CSO article by Tom Kaneshige that chronicles the "love-hate relationship CIOs have with Apple."

For many CIO's allowing iPads presents an unfortunate tradeoff. "There's always a balance in the risk you're introducing and the advantage you're getting," says Wolfgang Krips, senior vice president of global IT infrastructure services at SAP.

The article highlights one major vulnerability: The iPad can't send encrypted emails (though it can receive them). Some companies, such as SAP, are trying to fix these security gaps on their own, writes Kaneshige. But third-party solutions and clumsy workarounds are not ideal. Krips called the situation "very frustrating."

To its credit, Apple recently released new versions of iOS 4.3 not long after several vulnerabilities became apparent, and seems more responsive in general, according to CSO.

What do you think? Is Apple focused on security enough for you to be confident about the iPads in your enterprise?

For more:
- see this article at CSO

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