Following Apple’s sneak preview of the iPad 3 earlier in the week, companies are already plotting how the innovative device could fundamentally change the way they do business. Against this backdrop of excitement, there may be a crucial opportunity for managed service providers and vendors capable of offering the enterprise mobility management solutions these organizations will demand to minimize risk and maximize productivity.

Apple has sustained and built upon its early lead in the enterprise tablet segment, with many companies entrusting their first extended ventures into the mobility space to the iPad’s reputation for intuitive and reliable performance. And while the impressive new features on display in the device’s third generation are sure to attract its share of early adopters, the related price drop for the iPad 2 may be even more significant for the business community.

According to Technorati, the schrewd pricing strategy comes at a time when companies are just beginning to draw a clear correlation between tablet deployment and potentially significant boost in productivity. With a clear return on investment now in focus, departments, offices and even entire companies are equipping their teams with a fleet of new iPads.

United Airlines recently deployed 11,000 new tablets, according to the news source, to provide pilots with a host of paperless navigation tools. The elimination of cumbersome flight manuals is expected to scale to enormous fuel cost savings over time. Conversely, Sears has purchased 5,000 iPads to train employees and allow shoppers to research product information prior to checkout.

Regardless of how companies leverage these versatile gadgets, security and cost-effective operation are concerns common to every IT department. With that in mind, many organizations still new to the technology will seek both the technical solutions and consultory advice from qualified experts.

According to MSPMentor, mobility management vendors could demonstrate significant value in their understanding of the complexities contained in contracts, data plans and data usage. Managing wireless spend prior to the emergence of tablets was no easy task, but the prevalence of data-rich mobile applications and streaming video has only further complicated matters. With cost reduction on the minds of every business executive, the small investment in outside expertise will likely be seen as money well spent.

Aside from guiding financial officers through the essentials of telecom management, managed service providers may also be asked to lend their advice toward prescriptive strategies that encourage more responsible use of tablet technology among employees. Optimizing device configurations to restrict unnecessary use of Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity could be one area in which companies will seek support, according to MSPMentor.

Finally, compliance is an inescapable factor for firms in healthcare, financial services, government or other highly regulated settings. According to MSPMentor, both internal and consumer-facing applications can have serious data security implications that could be overlooked by those uninitiated in mobility management best practices. As such, short-term investments in contracted services may be seen as smart solutions that curb the potential risk of civil suits and regulatory fines coming as a result of a data breach.