Proskauer lawyers can expense GoodReader and Docs to Go, but they're on their own for other iPad apps. The IS department does publish a list of some 20 recommended apps for business use, such as Whiteboard Pro ($1) and Citrix Receiver for iPad (free) for rendering a virtual desktop, although not all are well received.

Some lawyers, as well as CIOs elsewhere, have complained about the clunkiness of the Citrix iPad app. Rendering a complete desktop on a 10-inch iPad screen just doesn't make for a good user experience. iPad users end up doing a lot of two-finger pinching and expanding. "Over time, one would hope the Citrix app would become a little bit more user friendly," Kayman says.

With more than 90,000 apps made specifically for the iPad, new iPad owners struggle to separate good and bad iPad apps. CIOs have to find innovative ways to help their iPad-toting employees navigate the ocean of apps in the App Store.

One tech exec turned to social networking for help. Ferdinand Velasco, M.D., chief medical information officer at Texas Health, ran smack into the app craze shortly after allowing clinicians to use iPads. His secret? Velasco installed an enterprise social network similar to Twitter that lets doctors and nurses talk about the pros and cons of certain apps, find apps that peers are using, and learn what apps to avoid.

"Physicians need to get around, want to be with patients, want to be with other doctors, nurses and healthcare providers," , adding, "Devices like the iPad and smartphone help get them mobile again."