First off, it was decided all personal mobile devices must use the AirWatch mobile-device management software to be allowed on the campus and hospital network. This is so the IT department can enforce policies among user groups, such as for encryption, which is mandatory for storing personal health information.

Another policy is not allowing sensitive data to be stored in cloud-based environment or file-sharing services like Dropbox. But this may eventually change as the university is working with AirWatch on new capabilities to be available soon that will allow data to be encrypted at rest outside of the iPad, Gold says.

The UC Irvine Medical Center had already been using network-access control (NAC) based on Bradford Networks, to restrict and control computers. This has now extended to mobile devices, too, but in this case, the NAC works directly with the AirWatch agent for specific purposes, Gold says.

The Bradford NAC can see the media access control address on devices used by all students and faculty, and if the mobile device is approved as correctly configured with AirWatch, it's allowed on the network. But if it's not, the mobile device is temporarily isolated sent to a virtual LAN segment and in the process, middleware the IT department came up with tells these mobile-device users that they need to install the AirWatch software if they haven't. "We're telling students they have to agree to install the AirWatch agent, which applies the profile for either students or faculty," Gol saysd.

In addition the management issues, application development for iOS has also taken hold.