Potentially fanning the flames of the growing IT consumerization movement, Cisco has made its AnyConnect Security Mobility software available for iOS 4.1 through the Apple App Store, potentially addressing security concerns of enterprises that are increasingly allowing employees to use personal iPhones and iPads for corporate business.

The Cisco AnyConnect software, which also works with the iPod Touch,  provides encrypted network connectivity from any Apple iOS 4 device for accessing business email, virtual desktop sessions, or most other iOS 4 applications, Cisco says on its website. The software uses Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) to provide TCP-based applications and latency-sensitive traffic (such as VoIP) an optimized communication path to corporate resources.

Last week, I was in San Francisco attending Deutsche Bank’s 2010 Technology Conference (September 14-16).  The following post is a high-level summary of my key takeaways, intended to inform you of key industry themes and changes within a brief reading (rather than a lengthy detailed vendor-by-vendor report). 

Remember all the talk earlier this year about the iPad's limited market? Well, not only has the iPad been a huge hit with consumers, but it's also making a mark in the enterprise, with companies like Wells Fargo, SAP and Mercedes-Benz throwing their support behind the Apple tablet.

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that executives at Wells Fargo are fans of the device, and the bank has ordered a "bunch" of them -- it just can't get them yet, thanks to the iPad's popularity. Wells Fargo VP Amy Johnson, who told Bloomberg that she used the iPad to demonstrate financial products at a recent conference, said she carries it with her everywhere.

The tablet PC competition gained a new entrant Tuesday as Cisco unveiled its forthcoming Android-based device. But instead of taking aim at the market-creating iPad, Cisco wants its tablet, Cius, to find homes in enterprises, acting as a communications device -- and possible desktop replacement.

Since the iPad is the device du jour, though, comparisons are inevitable. At 1.15 pounds, Cius is lighter than Apple's 1.5 pound tablet, but its 7 inch screen may seem a little puny given that the iPad touts 10 inches. Cisco didn't announce pricing, but it says Cius, which sports a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, will cost less than $1,000.

Is the iPad a suitable business device? The jury is out on that one. But with some 700,000 iPads selling in its first weekend, you can bet that vendors are going to be rushing to get their business applications on the high-profile tablet.

Cisco did its part to take advantage of the iPad hype on Friday, announcing a free version of WebEx for the iPad. Or, as Cisco put it in a video it posted on its WebEx site: "How do you make the world's coolest mobile device even better? Add the world's coolest collaboration app -- WebEx for iPad."

Former bosom buddies Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard are no longer best of friends. In a move that has been a long time coming, Cisco announced Thursday that it won't renew its systems integrator contract with HP when it expires April 30.

More specifically, Keith Goodwin, SVP of Cisco's worldwide partner organization, made the announcement in a video posted to the Cisco site.