You can, of course, access calendar and contact data without connecting through the desktop by tapping Exchange or Notes Web access via the iPhone’s Safari browser. Unfortunately, navigating those desktop-oriented pages even in the iPhone’s fairly large screen makes this method a somewhat frustrating quick fix.

Another access issue to consider is that the Safari browser in the iPhone does not support Java or ActiveX, so Web pages that use these applet-delivery technologies won't run on the iPhone. ActiveX is a Microsoft technology available only on Windows, so the iPhone's lack of support mirrors the Mac's lack of support, but the lack of the cross-platform Java technology on the iPhone is less justifiable for Apple.

Securing the iPhone
The biggest issue for IT when it comes to the iPhone is security, even with the availability of SSL authentication for securing e-mail connections. Make sure your Exchange or Domino server requires SSL and one of these SSL options: MD5 challenge-response, NTLM, or HTTP MD5 digest. The iPhone also supports password-based SSL authentication, but that can be more easily spoofed than the other options.

All SSL does, however, is encrypt e-mail messages, not any other traffic between the iPhone and the company's servers. Typically, you would mitigate this concern by using a VPN client -- or a BlackBerry or Motorola GoodLink server and its proprietary secured network -- as the conduit to safeguard all traffic with the iPhone.

The iPhone didn't originally support VPNs, but Apple added that capability via a software upgrade in late 2007. The iPhone’s VPN capabilities are solid -- comparable to Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices -- with a choice of L2TP and PPTP protocols and support for EMC RSA Security’s SecurID key-based authentication. (You access those through the General preference pane’s Network option.) But the iPhone VPN client does not work with all VPNs; Cisco-based VPNs in particular are incompatible unless they are set specifically for Mac OS X and iPhone compatibility.

And there are three security issues for which the iPhone decidedly falls short, when compared with Windows Mobile, Palm OS, and BlackBerry.

First, the iPhone does not provide device encryption, meaning that any data stored on the iPhone can easily be obtained by a thief. With nearly 16GB visible to PCs as an external drive when connected over USB, the iPhone can store a lot of could-be precious corporate data.

Second, password protection on the iPhone is scant. More than providing a four-digit maximum for passwords, the iPhone provides no way to enforce password use or policies, as users can simply turn the password feature off.

Third, the iPhone’s lack of a remote lock or kill feature leaves IT in the lurch if the device is stolen or lost.

Until Apple adds these capabilities to the iPhone, or third parties find a way to add them, IT will have to decide whether these three security shortfalls justify banning the iPhone from the enterprise. A good way to judge that is to make an honest assessment: Are you as tough on USB thumb drives, smartphones, and work-at-home users’ PCs as you want to be on the iPhone?

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CORRECTION: This story corrects inaccurate information from the originally published version as to what level of protection SSL encryption provides.