iPad meets IT - Three tools you need

Many of my friends hate Apple. They hate Apple's arrogance and the way the company manipulates the market. A great example of what they despise: Apple recently kicked out all book reading apps other than its own nice-to-look-at-but-not-well-featured-and-doesn't-handle-enough-formats book reader, otherwise called iBook.

Even so, Apple's iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) are wonderful gadgets. There's an undeniable polish and sophistication to Apple hardware and software engineering that makes these iThings delightful to use. And even if you don't like them, it's probable they are relentlessly creeping into your IT environment (and probably into your own pocket as well).

I've been looking at cool IT-oriented products for these insidious devices and this week I've got a few tools that may be useful to you.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Many of my friends hate Apple. They hate Apple's arrogance and the way the company manipulates the market. A great example of what they despise: Apple recently kicked out all book reading apps other than its own nice-to-look-at-but-not-well-featured-and-doesn't-handle-enough-formats book reader, otherwise called iBook.

Even so, Apple's iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) are wonderful gadgets. There's an undeniable polish and sophistication to Apple hardware and software engineering that makes these iThings delightful to use. And even if you don't like them, it's probable they are relentlessly creeping into your IT environment (and probably into your own pocket as well).

I've been looking at cool IT-oriented products for these insidious devices and this week I've got a few tools that may be useful to you.

My first pick is SugarSync, a powerful file synchronizer and backup system that can sync multiple devices on multiple platforms that includes not only iOS-based devices, but also devices running Windows, OS X, Android and BlackBerry OS.

SugarSync private Web interface

SugarSync performs synchronization in the background and transfers are done using 128-bit AES encryption. There are no file transfer size limits, you can view all of the files that are backed up and synchronized using a private SugarSync Web page (over HTTPS), and the service includes automatic versioning with up to five previous versions being saved (and only the current version counts toward your account storage quota).

The client-side apps are free and SugarSync will give you a free account which allows for 5GB of synchronized and backed up files. Charged-for accounts start at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year for 30GB of storage.

Click to see: Screen shot of SugarSync

SugarSync also offers a multiuser account option which is where the enterprise IT angle comes in: You get centralized user management, granular access control and user quota management.

Pricing for SugarSync for Business currently starts at (these are introductory prices) $29.99 per month or $299.99 annually for 100GB of space for up to three users.

Being able to simply, easily and securely transfer documents between your iOS devices and all of your other laptops and desktops with enterprise features is a fantastic productivity aid and, for users, a lifesaver when they need to recover a document they've managed to screw up.

Sugarsync is so good, it gets a rating of 5 out 5!

Mocha VNC brings VNC to iOS

Next up is an iOS version of one of my favorite tools, VNC, called Mocha VNC (I last wrote about VNC a decade ago!).

Based on the well-known open source tool, VNC (which stands for Virtual Network Computing), Mocha VNC is a remote desktop viewing application that implements the same functionality on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (it's also available for Android, Windows, Blackberry OS, and Palm OS).

Mocha VNC uses the standard VNC protocol with encrypted password sign-on, supports 8- and 32-bit color modes, local Mouse support, zooming and scrolling of the remote screen, landscape mode on iOS, Wake on LAN, NETBIOS and Bonjour names, works with RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC on Windows and Apple Screen sharing (which is included with the Mac OS X).