Forrester Research has put together a really good list of the top 10 reasons enterprise technology managers will not to support the iPhone. The objections are valid and important. And somehow we think users are going to use iPhones anyway, with or without enterprise support. Some of the objections are more important than other.
But Forrester analyts also note that enterprise "C" level executives are using them anyway, so it is only a matter of time before the iPhone filters down the corporate pyramid.
1. Doesn’t natively support push business email or over-the-air calendar sync. The iPhone can sync with Microsoft’s Exchange and IBM’s Lotus Notes over IMAP and SMTP ports, but server and security administrators have to configure their infrastructure to do so or purchase a mobile gateway. The issue is "doesn't natively support" push email. People can work around that, or the email services can be tweaked. A problem, but not a really big problem.
2. Doesn’t accommodate third-party applications, including those internally developed. This is a big problem. But Apple software engineers must know this. And there are rumors Apple already is working on a software developer kit that should take care of this objection.
3. There isn't a way to encrypt data on the device. Yes, this is a pretty big problem.
4. Can’t be remotely locked or wiped in the event of a lost or stolen device. Also a big problem.
5. Lacks a hard keypad that provides feedback, which isn’t ideal for rapid and accurate input. Not a major objection, ultimately. Yes, accuracy typically is less than on a QWERTY keyboard. But this is an irritant, not a show stopper. And people get better at it with practice, it seems.
6. Limited service provider support and its carrier lock-in inhibits flexibility. Issues, yes, but not as big a deal as the security issues.
7. It is expensive. Well, it is being bought by consumers, who bring them into the enterprise environment, so not a direct enterprise problem.
8. Is only the first generation, and lacks 3G support. This problem fixes itself.
9. Lacks a removable battery. Definitely an irritant. Apple doesn't seem to want to sell replacement batteries. But that support isn't available for iPods either, and we have found ways to replace those batteries.
10. There are no case studies of firms that have deployed it enterpris-ewide. Sure, IT will say this, but it isn't a major objection, ultimately.
One reason the iPhone probably is used in smaller businesses is that people don't have all those custom apps to support. And we are entering an era where maybe there are some devices and apps that IT will simply say it won't support, but users can buy them and do their own support. Younger users will do that. Even some of us older users will do so.
Really, its is the security and support for proprietary enterprise apps that are the real barriers.
