AT&T Tech Support 360
June 28, 2007 10:01 AM PDT
Gartner: Businesses should be wary of iPhone
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IT departments should be extremely wary of allowing employees to use Apple's mobile handset because it does not contain the necessary functionality to comply with basic corporate security, analysts warned in a research note released on Thursday. The iPhone will be launched in the U.S. on Friday.
Gartner lists the following reasons to steer clear of the iPhone for now:
• Lack of support from major mobile device management suites and mobile-security suites
• Lack of support from major business mobile e-mail solution providers
• An operating-system platform that is not licensed to alternative-hardware suppliers, meaning there are limited backup options
• Feature deficiencies that would increase support costs (for example, iPhone's battery is not removeable)
• Currently available from only one operator in the U.S.
• An unproven device from a vendor that has never built an enterprise-class mobile device
• The high price of the device, which starts at $500
• A clear statement by Apple that it is focused on consumer rather than enterprise
Integrating mobile devices and other communications technology into corporate IT networks, while maintaining security policies, has become an increasing problem for businesses. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that manufacturers provide tools that allow staff to unilaterally integrate their device into the corporate network, the analyst group claims.
"Most handheld devices come with easy-to-use tools that enable rapid interfaces to business systems," the report stated. "When end users install such tools, they effectively 'punch a hole' through the enterprise security perimeter--data can be moved across applications to personally owned devices, without the IT organization's knowledge or control."
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Gartner argues that companies should develop a "managed diversity" approach to supporting mobile devices. This approach effectively allows a wide variety of devices to be supported, but with trade-offs, such as limited access to some systems, to maintain security levels.
However, because the iPhone is a new device, and Apple doesn't have a history of building secure mobile devices for businesses, the analyst group recommends that companies leave the handheld alone for now.
Apple is not positioning the iPhone as a business device, but the company's decision to use the Ajax development technique in the handset could make it a useful platform for enterprise mobility. Business and service providers can effectively create Web applications in Ajax and port them onto any device--including the iPhone--with minimal fuss, Apple claimed at its World Wide Developers Conference, held earlier this month in San Francisco.
"Developers and users alike are going to be very surprised and pleased at how great these applications look and work on (the) iPhone," said Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs. "Our innovative approach, using Web 2.0-based standards, lets developers create amazing new applications while keeping the iPhone secure and reliable."
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, who sits on Apple's board, has also claimed that the iPhone is uniquely positioned to become a mobile platform for the search specialist's hosted applications.
"iPhone is a powerful new device and is going to be particularly good for the apps that Google is building. You should expect other announcements from the two companies over time," he said.
Apple could offer no comment on Gartner's report at the time of writing.
Andrew Donoghue of ZDNet UK reported from London.
See more CNET content tagged:
corporate security,
Apple iPhone,
Gartner Inc.,
mobile device,
AJAX
The grand prize for filling out one of the Gartner surveys was an iPhone.
Pretty amusing.
Now why anyone would actually pay for Gartner research, that's a question for the ages.
SO, iPhone is a major security risk because it is new & hasn't been tested yet, blah, blah, blah.
Hello?
1. AT&T has been a corporate partner with Apple for many mnay years & with Cingular has enormous cellphone experience with corporations.
2. Mac OSX is a secure OS (much more so than MS-WIN OS ) & Safari had 128 bit encryption.
3. AJAX apps can be easily written for iPhone with any business customization & security protocols...over the head of Joe Blow IT Dude in corporate America? Well, um, I never seen or used that application before, so IT'S A SECURITY RISK!
Total BS FUD Gartner. Apple primary concern over not having the iPhone opened for everyone is the fact of control over security on the iPhone.
And where do they get their facts? Here are some of the "points" Gartner made:
"No firewall"-- Firewall has been standard on OS X from day 1.
"...would have to forward e-mail to an Internet service provider..."-- or maybe turn on IMAP.
"...PBX integration..."-- OK, I'll bite-- do all the other phones in corporate use have this?
Besides the outright factual errors, the rest of the analysts' statements were just chock-full of FUD.
Gartner. However given the fact they are trying to raise a "red herring", over the iPhone is, to say the least, very
interesting.
IMAP, and SSL is how you can securely connect with Microsoft Exchange. But the other points have me curious indeed. Not
necessarily with their validity, but why they are even points at all. We know the iPhone won't even be in the publics' hands until June 29th,
after 6pm. We know the level of secrecy involved in its' development, and that fact alone raises interesting questions about the
reports argument points.
Lack of support from major mobile device management suites and mobile-security
suites It doesn't matter which suite they are talking about. We know the software running on the iPhone will be Apples.
The question I want to know is, which suites are they talking about? What do they provide? Why is it so important that the iPhone have
them?
Lack of support from major business mobile e-mail solution providers This bullet-point could
not be more misleading. Since they cannot truthfully say that the iPhone will not work with "major business mobile e-mail
solution providers", they are implying it. The bullet point would be far more accurate if it read "does not support third party
proprietary e-mail protocols". But I guess that wouldn't have the same "bite".
An operating-system platform that
is not licensed to alternative-hardware suppliers, meaning there are limited backup options Whoa! OSX on other devices? First of
all, is obtuse, and false. The iPhone syncs with your computer system, and email. It isn't the repository for that
information. Your computer system(s), and email are the backups.
Feature deficiencies that would
increase support costs (for example, iPhone's battery is not removeable). The fact that it has a battery is a support cost, whether it
is removeable or not. How much will it cost to replace the battery? How often will you have to replace the battery? I know there is a 1 year
warranty on the phone. I don't know the details, yet, on AT&Ts warranty coverage. I'm pretty darn sure, any battery replacement
costs will be neglible, or none. It's interesting they didn't talk about GPS, and 3G upgrades (which I suspect will require a new purchase) as
legitimate points.
Currently available from only one operator in the U.S.And? That's about all I can say
about this point, because it isn't even making one. Why is this a bad thing? If you cannot use AT&T, we know you aren't going to get the
iPhone. It's almost as if they are fishing for excuses now.
An unproven device from a vendor that has
never built an enterprise-class mobile device I suppose this is supposed to mean that a product, from a company who is
legendary for making well designed devices, cannot make a well designed device. ... Fine, I will devolve here ... that point is just plain
stupid. By the way, aren't laptops considered mobile devices?
The high price of the device, which starts at
$500 Why is the price considered high? It's not purely a phone. How much does a flash based iPod cost? How much does a
handheld computer cost? If you don't want to spend that much money, don't get it. We also know there are plenty of phones
that cost more. So what is the real point of the bullet. Oh, it costs 500$. Fine, but it's not stopping a lot of people from buying them.
This is truly a strange bullet point from an Analytical firm.
A clear statement by Apple that it is focused on
consumer rather than enterprise And last, but not least, an kind of low. Gartner also, recently, issued a report that businesses
should look to satisfy, and implement their employees choices in consumer devices. Apples focus has always been on the person using
the device. In other words, the consumer. I wonder how they figured this as a negative point?
Bottom-
line Gartner is not correct.
Why are you putting down a device which is basically
a Virtual Computer. Fact is I have been an Apple Developer for 20 years, and they are not about to let a device go out the door and let all of their plans go out also. They have been ripped off too many times in the past, so this time they have kept it all close to the chest.
You must have shorted the stock, first you complained about battery power, even though there are so many ways to put power into an iPod (iPhone) same interface, thus, like the iPods, the iPhone does not need a removable battery.
The phone is a true 2007 device.
How about the fact that you will be able to make VOIP calls.
Email is not very secure unless it is encrypted. Better to use a Web Browser to a secure server. Or PGP on the email, which will work on the iPhone, there are already two beta versions of it.
So embrace, and welcome to the 21st century!
Take Care,
Bob Ball
It's not worth the bother to answer every point they make in this article, as many are based on supposition and mistakes.
But what really gets me cross is that lazy managers will blindly follow these advice rather than do their homework.
iPhone is as secure as the network it is used on is.
iPhone has iMap/Pop capability and Exchange synchronization.
iPhone is not a 'mobile device' or 'business mobile' as these terms usually reference Windows device (hardly stable platforms, but that's the best we had until now), and Palm (who managed to get into the business world at first, even though the product was clearly inferior to today's iPhone). iPhone is a BRAND NEW DEVICE!
iPhone's storage capacity puts it into a league of its own as far as data storage and data exchange is concerned.
iPhone's applications are better suited to business and corporation management than any other phone/platform because they are simple, they save time, they are very visual.
iPhone's browser is the best for business use on a ultra portable device. Google has already started rolling out apps for it, and it can take any page without the need for WAP or dumbed-down pages.
iPhone does not use 3G. Serious businesses are rarely using 3G. They mostly rely on GSM, especially those that have a worldwide presence.
Last but not least, it's time for consultants to stop lying about consumer and entreprise. Entreprises are made of consumers. I have seen (and in some case helped prevent) corporations waste millions of dollars in projects that got no backing from users (consumers), or waste in training users for applications that should have been designed better. Apple is targeting USERS, whether home or corporate. It doesn't use a sneaky business model of creating versions for users and versions for business by hiding libraries or changing options. With Apple, if someone can use the product at home, that person can use the product in the enterprise.
Shame on you, Gartner!
Of course when does Gartner ever get anything right?
suites and mobile-security suites[/i]"
...oh? And I suppose that all major CRM and ERP apps suddenly
lack a send-to-email or post-to-web function now? That's news.
"[i]? Lack of support from major business mobile e-mail solution
providers[/i]"
Instead, it uses the Internet without the need for any sort of
vendor lock-in. Oh noes!
[i]"? An operating-system platform that is not licensed to
alternative-hardware suppliers, meaning there are limited
backup options"[/i]
Man, THAT was convoluted... but then, OSX (the parent OS)
comes with its own IDE for free, its API's are all documented, and
wouldn't you know it? The mobile version comes with a whole
host of backup options.
[i]"? Feature deficiencies that would increase support costs (for
example, iPhone's battery is not removeable)[/i]"
...and now we're deep into to darkest FUD territory. How much
company support cost is there in dealing with busted
Blackberries? Busted Treos? That's what RMA's and 4-hour
support contracts are for, even at the enterprise level... idiots.
Oh - but the battereis are non-removeable!? Oh noes! (too bad
that removeable batteries are no big deal to a device with a
comparative insanely long battery life. Cripes - I remember my
last cell phone and buying a 2nd battery for it... never had to use
the thing, and never had to remove the original one from it).
"[i]? Currently available from only one operator in the U.S.[/i]"
Microsoft Exchange is currently available from only one vendor;
so when will we see Gartner advocating that enterprises shy
away from Exchange?
[i"]? An unproven device from a vendor that has never built an
enterprise-class mobile device[/i]"
With warranties, support contracts, and this little thing most
enterprises use called a "pilot program", where is the relevance
in this balderdash?
Oh - and when Microsoft comes out with their version, will
Gartner be saying the same thing? I'm thinking "Hell, no".
"[i]? The high price of the device, which starts at $500[/i]"
...and? We're talking about corporations that happily blow five
figures on new, unproven server or network hardware because
they think it'll up the quarterly bottom line by a percentage
point.
"[i]? A clear statement by Apple that it is focused on consumer
rather than enterprise[/i]"
Finally! Something with a kernel of truth in it!
('course, no smart enterprise would ignore a potential new and
valuable tool just because it's 'only' a 'consumer product'...)
/P
- MS Exchange support for iPhone
-
by Llib Setag
July 10, 2007 6:23 PM PDT
- MACNN:
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Reply to this comment
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See all 43 Comments >>IceWEB today announced that its hosted Microsoft Exchange subscription service now supports Apple's iPhone, enabling corporate customers to access company Exchange email systems via their new Apple-branded cellular handsets. IceWEB has worked for months to position its IceMAIL service to fully support the iPhone, which should ease the fears of potential business customers who were rumored to shun Apple's handset due to a lack of interoperability with existing corporate mail systems. IceMAIL enables small and medium business customers to continue receiving hosted Microsoft Exchange email on most smartphones and eases the process of iPhone adoption for businesses fearing complications with the new device. IceMAIL is available from $8.50 per month.
MACWORLD:
IceMail offers hosted Exchange e-mail for iPhone
By Peter Cohen
IceWeb is offering users a 30-day free trial of IceMail for iPhone. IceMail is a hosted Microsoft Exchange e-mail subscription service.
IceWeb chairman and CEO John R Signorello said that his company?s efforts have been made to make sure that iPhone users have access to an Exchange-based e-mail system even without requiring any infrastructure changes to a corporate IT environment.
?There has been much press regarding how the iPhone might be ?shunned? by enterprise email users because of the lack of perceived compatibilities with Microsoft Exchange implementations. We?re working to ensure this will not be the case,? he said.
There have been rumors that Apple will offer some sort of Activesync connectivity for the iPhone ? Activesync is the push synchronization technology from Microsoft that allows e-mail, contact and calendar sync with Exchange. If this ultimate proves correct, IceWeb plans to offer that capability to iPhone users as well, included with the IceMail subscription.
IceMail service starts at $8.50 per month.