Kerio talks iPhone growth, debuts new Mac VPN client

Kerio Technologies says it is seeing significant -- even surprising -- growth in iPhone users of its MailServer products for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Worldwide Marketing VP Dusan Vitek tells MacNN says the introduction of the iPhone 3G led to a significant increase in demand in recent months.

Vitek says one-third of its Mac OS X MailServer customers now use Kerio's ActiveSync for iPhone, some leaving the Blackberry behind. Creative professionals and law firms are among the early adopters, as employees who use iPhones in their personal life seek to also use them at work.

Vitek says the BlackBerry suffers from a perception problem that may be helping the iPhone. Even though the BlackBerry has a built-in phone, he says many users see it as strictly a business device, and carry a second handset for voice calls. The iPhone, however, is viewed an everyday phone that can also be used for work.

Although economic conditions remain uncertain, Vitek says Kerio is still expecting 2009 to be a growth year, in part because of the iPhone. And, since Kerio is a less expensive alternative to Microsoft Exchange, the company feels its in a good position to take some business away from its main competitor.

Small businesses are also using more Macs. To that end, Kerio is demonstrating a beta of its new Mac VPN client for its WinRoute Firewall at MacWorld. The client gives Mac users "the same access to protected files and servers as PC users." The client supports all versions of Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Kerio says the VPN client was created "from scratch" with a Mac-like interface. A final version is expected in the in the spring.

Filed under: iPhone
Other story tags: iPhone 3G, business, MWSF