The iPad makes nice with the Microsoft Exchange servers that are a staple in large enterprises, as well as many smaller businesses.
What’s more, if your company supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, you can exploit push e-mail so that messages arrive pronto on the iPad, just as they do on your other computers. (To keep everything up to date, the iPad also supports push calendars and push contacts.)
For push to work with an Exchange Server, your company must be able to work with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync 2003 (Service Pack 2), 2007 (Service Pack 1), or 2010. Ask your company’s IT or tech department if you run into an issue.
Setting up Exchange e-mail isn’t particularly taxing, and the iPad connects to Exchange right out of the box. You still might have to consult your employer’s techie-types for certain settings.
Start setting up your corporate e-mail on your iPad by following these steps:
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Tap the Microsoft Exchange icon on the Welcome to Mail screen.
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Fill in what you can: your e-mail address, domain, username (sometimes domainuser), and password. Or, call on your IT staff for assistance. Tap Next when you’re done.
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On the next screen, as shown in this figure, enter the Server e-mail address, assuming that the Microsoft Autodiscover service didn’t already find it. Tap Next when you’re done.
That server address may begin with exchange.company.com.
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Choose which information you want to synchronize through Exchange by tapping each item you want.
You can choose Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. After you choose an item, you see the blue On button next to it, as shown in this figure.
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Tap Save.
The company you work for doesn’t want just anybody having access to your e-mail — heaven forbid if your iPad is lost or stolen. So your bosses may insist that you change the passcode lock inside Settings on your iPad. (This is different from the password for your e-mail account.) And, if your iPad ends up in the wrong hands, your company can remotely wipe the contents clean.
By default, the iPad keeps e-mail synchronized for three days. To sync for a longer period, head to Settings; tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars; and then tap the e-mail account using ActiveSync. Tap Mail Days to Sync and tap No Limit or pick another time frame (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, or 1 month).
If you’re moonlighting at a second job, you can now configure more than one Exchange ActiveSync account on your iPad; prior to iOS 5 there was a limit of just one such account per device.