iPhone 3G: still too many unknowns to recommend for business use, analyst says
Apple's tight-lipped security, and a plethora of Non-Disclosure Agreements with the companies it has on board to test the iPhone 2.0 software, is making it difficult to recommend the iPhone 3G to enterprise, according to a Gartner analyst.
Though Apple has promised much when it comes to making the newest iPhone software - coming on 11th July - far more business-friendly, there's no easy way to confirm how suitable it will be for enterprise until it launches next month.
Of some concern is how secure the iPhone will be. According to Ken Delaney from Gartner, the iPhone has neither firewall nor native encryption - functions many businesses have come to expect and trust from the likes of BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices - so IT departments could be concerned about its daily use, and what happens if the iPhone is stolen.
Additionally, deploying applications via iTunes may be seen as a security issue. Though Apple has said that it's possible to write private applications for specific groups of iPhones within a company, and distribute them via an Intranet, this doesn't necessarily solve the problem of how to distribute off-the-shelf applications outside of iTunes.
Delaney does provide a glowing consumer-focused report on the new iPhone, but business concerns means he recommends that businesses don't take a "calculated risk" in sanctioning iPhones until the new software can be fully examined and tested.
Having said that, he believes that the low price and high feature set of the iPhone 3G will mean many companies will see employees using the phones at work, regardless of any official policy.
The iPhone will prove extremely popular in the market," he said. "The iPhone is a phenomenon in the computing industry and should be recognised as such."
(Via Computer World)
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