iPhone features slowly woo enterprise skeptics
Thanks to recent enhancements like Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support and VPN access, the iPhone is becoming more attractive -- and acceptable -- to enterprises
Follow @infoworldWith the iPhone's newly announced enterprise features generating considerable buzz, some analysts have softened their skepticism about its potential as a corporate device, but not nearly enough to recommend it over Research in Motion's BlackBerry.
The features were unwrapped during a media conference at Apple's San Francisco headquarters last week, where the company announced that iPhone users would soon have access to Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync, a licensed data synchronization protocol whose built-in support will give IT departments the ability to set password policies, set up VPN settings and perform remote data wipes on iPhones that have been lost or stolen. Apple also said that the iPhone would soon have access to Cisco IPsec VPN, which the company says will "ensure the highest level of IP-based encryption available for transmission of sensitive corporate data." Finally, Apple said it would let iPhone users make VoIP calls over Wi-Fi connections, a move that could potentially be a money-saver for companies by reducing the number of cellular minutes used per month.
[ For more on how executives and IT are bringing Apple's iPhone into the enterprise, read InfoWorld's IT guide to the iPhone. ]
The new features were seemingly developed in response to some analysts who had warned IT departments to not allow the iPhone to connect to their networks because it had no way to deliver secure corporate e-mail or to encrypt data sent and received through the device. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of marketing, acknowledged these concerns last week and said the new features were a reflection of what Apple customers have told the company would make the device enterprise-worthy.
Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, who had initially advised IT departments against allowing the iPhone onto their networks, says Gartner will be releasing a report on the iPhone's enterprise potential in the near future and that the handheld appears to have met the research firm's minimal requirements to qualify for enterprise support. While Dulaney emphasizes that no formal conclusions have yet been made, he says the iPhone's new device-wipe ability, as well as its ability to enforce the use of complex passwords, will help it meet basic corporate security standards.
