Using an iPad offline with SharePoint Online

Recently I wrote about going offline with SharePoint Online using either SharePoint Workspace 2010 or Outlook. But in this upwardly mobile world where iPads are rapidly replacing the laptop as the de facto mobile worker device – how can we make sure that they are not at a disadvantage for using a non-Windows platform?

When I bought my iPad I made the mistake of getting a non-3G version as its primary purpose was for testing SharePoint functionality. I never thought that one day I would take this device to meetings as I already have a Lenovo X201 Tablet where I use the note-taking application Microsoft OneNote religiously.

I quickly realised that this iPad device was much more practical to take to meetings and I soon began to lament the fact that I had no access to the online world without the 3G functionality. While I can tether the device to my mobile for remote access it really adds too many steps for when I need quick access to information stored in SharePoint Online.

So what are my options? In the absence in an official iOS app for SharePoint Workspace there are quite a lot of third-party alternatives. A quick look around the Apple App Store shows over 30 applications that come up when searching for “SharePoint”.

Three apps really stand out for SharePoint integration as well as offline access: SharePlus, Filamente and Moprise. These applications provide you with the ability to synchronise libraries and lists offline as well as edit content which can be synchronised back to SharePoint Online once you are connected to the internet again.

Both SharePlus and Filamente have “Lite” versions with reduced functionality however Moprise is completely free and only moderately less functional than its paid counterparts.

My personal pick is the paid version of SharePlus for $20.99. While one of the more expensive apps, I found it had more features and with a simple yet pleasant graphical interface.

Loryan Strant is a Microsoft Office 365 MVP (Most Valuable Professional). Follow him on Twitter @TheCloudMouth.