Well, it sounds as if Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and AT&T (NYSE: ATT) are making an effort to move the iPhone from a consumer device to one capable of performing in the enterprise, at least as a business phone. It was only just seven months ago that Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney was providing warnings about the iPhone:
"We're telling IT executives to not support it because Apple has no intentions of supporting (iPhone use in) the enterprise". He stated the iPhone was "basically a cellular iPod with some other capabilities and it's important that it be recognized as such."
I admit that in its current state the iPhone isn't a good alternative to a Windows Mobile-based PDA or SmartPhone, or a BlackBerry handheld and the key reason is that it cannot support secure synchronization of e-mail from an enterprise mail server like Microsoft Exchange. The iPhone can synchronize information from Exchange over IMAP, but enabling this feature on an Exchange server could make the server more vulnerable to attack.
At one time Apple and Good Technology had been considering a partnership that might have resulted in a version of the Good Mobile Messaging client for the iPhone to provide secure synchronization of e-mail, calendar, contacts, etc., but the relationship soured even before Motorola acquired Good Technology. There are rumors that Apple could license Microsoft's ActiveSync to support the necessary synchronization, but I won't be holding my breath.
In the meantime, AT&T now offers enterprise iPhone plans. AT&T spokesperson Brad Mays told Ars Technica that "Beginning January 21, corporate customers who use AT&T wireless service and want an iPhone for business purposes can now have charges billed directly to their company". He also told them "Corporate iPhone users will receive the benefits available to all of our enterprise customers, including consolidated billing and specialized support."
I've had a few requests from executive types wanting to know when the iPhone will be supported like our standard PDAs and SmartPhones, so I'll be sticking to my "Soon" response until I hear otherwise.
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