R E L A T E D C O N T E N T

Gartner upgrades iPhone rating

Analyst firm Gartner says that the iPhone is now suitable for enterprise use

IT Week staff, IT Week 20 Mar 2008

Analyst group Gartner says that firmware upgrades to Apple's iPhone, which are due in June, will finally make the hugely popular device suitable for enterprise deployment – albeit in a limited manor.

The analyst group cautions against rushing ahead with enterprise deployments – whatever the demands from the user base.

Details about Firmware 2.0 remain scarce, and while Gartner welcomed the licensing of Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync, for email functionality and Cisco's IPsec client, which will improve virtual private network (VPN) support, it said Apple had more work to do to convince enterprise buyers.

"Apple is not specific about certain details, enterprises will have to monitor several sources to ascertain what a commitment to the iPhone platform will entail… With security, for instance, details matter," wrote Gartner analyst Ken Delaney, in a briefing note.

Gartner's advice represents a guarded shift in its advice for the iPhone. Previously, it suggested that it was only suitable for a "concierge level" of support – essentially where IT has to give senior executives support for whatever device they choose.

It now recommends "appliance level" support for the device, where IT would allow the iPhone to be used for basic email, telephony and web browsing applications.

Gartner has a final level of support – "platform level" – where it says devices can be widely deployed across the enterprise. Apple still has work to do to reach that level for the iPhone Gartner concluded.

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