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iPhone 3GS lacking in enterprise tech, say analysts

updated 10:40 am EDT, Mon June 15, 2009

iPhone 3GS and enterprise


The iPhone 3GS is still missing key enterprise features, despite efforts from Apple, analysts complain. The newest iPhone adds support for tethering, as well as remote wiping and hardware-based encryption. One of the remaining problems however, according to ABI Research analyst Kevin Burden, is that there is no console software for imposing policies on workgroups.

Gartner's Ken Dulaney adds that the 3GS continues to lack background processes, which could be employed to run the management controls suggested by Burden. Citing poor performance, Apple has instead opted for background push notification, which can only inform users of events like new instant messages. In some cases, genuine background apps may be necessary to follow federal regulations.

Steve Hilton at Yankee Group Research observes that while the iPhone is supported by corporations like Kraft and Oracle, the lack of background processes has kept it out of financial institutions like Bank of America. Third-party management tools have helped to pick up some of Apple's slack, notes IDC's Stephen Drake, but they are typically unwieldy. Bank of America is not the only company to have been scared away by sub-par management and security on the iPhone, Drake claims.


by MacNN Staff

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TAGS :

 iPhone, security, enterprise, iPhone 3GS

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  1. njfuzzy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2001

    +9
    06/15, 10:56am | report spam | Reply |

    Three point one

    I mean this metaphorically, obviously, but... This update is aimed at me, and Apple is exactly right to use this strategy.

    Let me explain...

    I was an early adopter, and I bought my iPhone for $600 in the first week. This summer, my contract would be up. The 3GS is aimed at me, and people like me.

    Here are my main complaints about my 1st Gen iPhone:

    - App speed and stability are iffy sometimes
    - Mail app has problems
    - No GPS, no turn-by-turn
    - Download speeds are lacking
    - Starting to wish I had more storage
    - Wanted a white one, because I'm nostalgic for my original iPhone
    - The camera sucks, and no video
    - Finally starting to get sick of fingerprints
    - After two years, cosmetic wear and tear is clearly visible
    - Not willing to spend more than $300
    - Wish I had voice control like the new shuffle
    - Only want "background" apps for instant messaging
    - Cut and Paste would be nice

    Check, check, check, check, check. etc.

    Between iPhone 3.0, and the new hardware, the 3GS I just ordered is literally perfect for me. And almost anyone who bought an original iPhone, and has been thinking about a replacement.

    I expect the 2010 update to be the iPhone 4G, with 4G internet, a front-facing video camera, enough capacity for true background apps, wireless tethering, stereo bluetooth, etc.

    In between, though, we will probably get iPhone OS 3.1 and 3.5. One will address mostly consumer needs, and one will address enterprise needs. There's very little hardware needed to accomplish the goal outlined in this article to expand Enterprise adoption.

    So of course 3GS / 3.0 will focus on consumers. Like me.

  1. Foe Hammer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2005

    +21
    06/15, 11:23am | report spam | Reply |

    Bail Faster!

    Right now, Bank of America isn't exactly one to be talking about sub-par management of anything.

    Kraft and Oracle, OTOH, seem to be moving along quite nicely.

  1. Roehlstation

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    +14
    06/15, 11:40am | report spam | Reply |

    And Yet...

    The IT professionals I've talked to in 3 different firms have had far fewer issues with their iPhone Fleet than they ever had with their blackberries, and the users seem to feel that they can do everything they need.

  1. Fast iBook

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2003

    +6
    06/15, 11:55am | report spam | Reply |

    Crackberry...

    I honestly believe the transition to iPhone is tied more to new platform phobia/anxiety than any of those things listed. Apple did the background thing to save on battery and allow the best performance per app. Even the prč has lag issues when roing multi- app stuff. Apple may be newer to the phone industry, but they have been in business longer than any other company aside from motorola, and they put that experience behind everything they do. Not saying they are perfect (because they aren't by far) but at least they have a good product that changed mobile devices forever, make that 2 products.

    Sent from my iPhone.

    - A

  1. Constable Odo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2007

    +1
    06/15, 12:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    IT doesn't like change...

    due to the fact that the BlackBerry is easy to manage which I think is the reason why IT doesn't want to move to iPhones. I doubt if it's just the security part, but I guess they just can't easily manage thousands of iPhones. I curious to find out if the BlackBerry was perfect from the very beginning or did RIM have to add on security and management features as they went along. I really can't believe that because a smartphone doesn't offer background processing that they are unsuitable for corporations. Doesn't matter. If IT doesn't want to switch then I guess those businesses will just not get peak productivity. Sybase says that the iPhone is great, but they don't have much clout. I guess it will be at least another year before the iPhone makes it into big business and RIM will keep that much more of a lead.

    Comment buried. Show
  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -17
    06/15, 12:51pm | report spam | (2 replies) Reply |

    Re: IT doesn't like

    due to the fact that the BlackBerry is easy to manage which I think is the reason why IT doesn't want to move to iPhones.

    Wow! You mean, for some reason, IT people want something that's easy to manage? Those b*******! I thought they were all about stuff that was hard to manage and needed fleets of extra personnel to do the work.

    I curious to find out if the BlackBerry was perfect from the very beginning or did RIM have to add on security and management features as they went along.

    Does it matter? Should people say "Hey, this iPhone has such and such issues, but so did the blackberry 5-10 years ago. Sure, it doesn't meet our needs, but let's buy this now with the knowledge that in a year or two we can upgrade to newer models that finally have what we need (we hope, since it isn't like we have a timeline to go by)."?

    That would be wasting good money.

    If IT doesn't want to switch then I guess those businesses will just not get peak productivity.

    Right, because the iPhone offers peak productivity for everyone, and every other phone is just c***. Well, peak productivity for everyone except the IT dept, because it isn't easy to manage. But we don't care about them.

    I guess it will be at least another year before the iPhone makes it into big business and RIM will keep that much more of a lead.

    It will be as long as Apple continues to promote the device more to the consumer and just offers lip service to the enterprise. They have a lot more enterprise tools in there now then they did two years ago, along with giving them the ability to load and make their own apps outside apple's approval process (at least that's what Apple said last year).

    Then again, there might be some places who've been burned by Apple's sudden shift in policies and products that have caused them issues where they won't trust anything they say again (just like many have with any number of companies). IT people don't like surprises, and Apple loves them.

  1. Uncommon

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2000

    +7
    06/15, 12:54pm | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    Hardware and software

    The issue of background processes belongs in a discussion of the iPhone OS 3.0 (software), not the iPhone 3GS (hardware). It's a software limitation, and therefore pretty much irrelevant to any hardware advancements in the 3GS.

  1. Todd Madson

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Apr 2000

    +1
    06/16, 11:41pm | report spam | Reply |

    Strange......

    Dunno what the deal is here. I work in IT in a fortune 100 business that deals in major financial transactions and in IT myself, my boss and another co-worker has iphones and much of the user population in the hundreds use them too in addition to blackberries, treos and other smartphones. The iphones are not hard to manage, they're a joy to use and there are very few issues. The article here states it in black and white: "The problem with the iPhone 3G S is "that you don't have a console to enforce corporate policies across an entire group of workers," said Kevin Burden, an analyst at ABI Research. " What it means: they don't want Joe Employee surfing or playing around on company time when they should be working. That's not an iphone limitation, that's a MANAGING YOUR EMPLOYEES POORLY problem. Sheesh. The other issue is: if an employee has purchased the phone with their own funds as most companies do not want to pay the freight on phones any longer it's the employees discretion what they use it for. Obviously, access control to certain resources is a big deal in financial institutions but I get the idea someone is griping that "Joe Worker is surfing FML too often during work hours." Disciplinary issue with employee issue, not iphone tech issue.

  1. Loren

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2001

    +1
    06/17, 12:44am | report spam | Reply |

    Whose problem?

    [The problem with the iPhone 3G S is "that you don't have a console to enforce corporate policies across an entire group of workers,"]

    Since when is Apple Microsoft? That's not a problem-- that's a decentralized FEATURE.

  1. bwomel

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2009

    0
    06/18, 09:02pm | report spam | Reply |

    There is hope

    I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum but not a newbie to the iPhone. As a guy that knows quite a bit about many different devices, I can certainly attest that none are perfect. Each has their pros and cons. In the iPhone's case, the pros are that it's a great Prosumer device. People love it. I love it. The cons are focused on the lack of enterprise tools, as mentioned in this article.

    But that doesn't mean there aren't secure solutions out there, because there are. iAnywhere delivers Mobile Office, a centrally managed, secure push email solution that combines on-device encryption with application level security. I discuss some of the security aspects in an iAnywhere blog at http://blogs.sybase.com/afaria/2009/05/iphone-security/.

    If you're in the New York area next week, consider checking out SYS-CON iPhone Developer Summit on June 22nd. Senthil Krishnapillai, Directory of Product Management for iAnywhere will be speaking about iAnywhere's solutions and perspective on this space.

    I'm not big into self promotion but it's important to know that solutions do exist that balance security and user productivity.

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