Apple promotes iOS 7 enterprise additions in pitch to business customers
A new section added to Apple's website promotes its upcoming iOS 7 mobile operating system to business customers, touting new features such as enhanced security, and new ways to configure and deploy devices at scale.
With iOS 7, the new site touts, businesses will be able to control which applications and accounts are used to open documents and attachments. This will help companies to protect corporate data by keeping work documents limited to corporate applications.
Virtual private network support can also be enabled on an app-by-app basis. With iOS 7, companies will be able to configure apps to automatically connect to VPN when they are launched.
Employees will also be able to authenticate into corporate apps with a single sign on, allowing credentials to be used across apps, including downloads from the App Store. And a new App Store Volume Purchase Program will allow businesses to assign apps to users while maintaining full ownership and control over the associated licenses.
For downloading and installing applications and content, Catching Server 2 for OS X Mavericks Server also supports iOS 7. This will allow businesses to speed up the download and delivery of content from the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore.
Mobile Device Management has been enhanced in iOS 7, giving businesses new configuration options such as wirelessly configuring managed applications, installing custom fonts, configuring accessibility options and AirPrint-compatible printers, and even approving specific AirPlay devices for use. Enrollment in MDM has also been streamlines, and can be configured during activation of a handset.
iOS 7 will also improve third-party data protection in applications, leveraging a user's passcode to create what Apple claims is a "strong and unique encryption key."
Finally, Apple also noted that its built-in Mail application has been enhanced with the ability to add and reorganize smart mailboxes within the mailbox list, and with a redesigned search. The new Mail in iOS 7 also gives the ability to view PDF annotations, and gives Microsoft Exchange 2010 users the ability to sync notes.
With iOS 7, the new site touts, businesses will be able to control which applications and accounts are used to open documents and attachments. This will help companies to protect corporate data by keeping work documents limited to corporate applications.
Virtual private network support can also be enabled on an app-by-app basis. With iOS 7, companies will be able to configure apps to automatically connect to VPN when they are launched.
Employees will also be able to authenticate into corporate apps with a single sign on, allowing credentials to be used across apps, including downloads from the App Store. And a new App Store Volume Purchase Program will allow businesses to assign apps to users while maintaining full ownership and control over the associated licenses.
For downloading and installing applications and content, Catching Server 2 for OS X Mavericks Server also supports iOS 7. This will allow businesses to speed up the download and delivery of content from the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore.
Mobile Device Management has been enhanced in iOS 7, giving businesses new configuration options such as wirelessly configuring managed applications, installing custom fonts, configuring accessibility options and AirPrint-compatible printers, and even approving specific AirPlay devices for use. Enrollment in MDM has also been streamlines, and can be configured during activation of a handset.
iOS 7 will also improve third-party data protection in applications, leveraging a user's passcode to create what Apple claims is a "strong and unique encryption key."
Finally, Apple also noted that its built-in Mail application has been enhanced with the ability to add and reorganize smart mailboxes within the mailbox list, and with a redesigned search. The new Mail in iOS 7 also gives the ability to view PDF annotations, and gives Microsoft Exchange 2010 users the ability to sync notes.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quadra 610
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Android has little to no traction in the enterprise. It's been Blackberry and iPhone for years now, with Blackberry getting the heave-ho.
With BYOD there is more Android phones being used in enterprise then you might think. If the company is paying for the device, then Android is the least desired device. My sense tells me that Apple is the most desired; Blackberry left the market for a year or two, Microsoft hasn't yet gotten back in, and (except for Samsung) Android is a fractured mess that is hard to write custom enterprise apps for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Constable Odo
Apple needs to double-down in the enterprise. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing how Apple has no future growth prospects while every other tech company does. Doesn't anyone notice that Apple's P/E ratio is sitting solidly in the nines and slipping faster by the day. Apple's shareholder value is vanishing into thin air while Google's is flying ever higher. Tim Cook better find a way to increase his own pay now that it's tied to Apple's stock performance, even if he doesn't care about shareholders. How can a company be so clueless about increasing its own value while sitting on a growing mountain of cash?
Well, aren't you full of sunshine and rainbows this morning! Had to sleep on the couch again last night??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quadra 610
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Android has little to no traction in the enterprise. It's been Blackberry and iPhone for years now, with Blackberry getting the heave-ho.
A special version of an Android phone received FIPS 140-2 certification and is now approved for use on government systems. This certification can be used by medical, educational, and enterprise IT managers to justify its use. Again, this certification for only one special version and does not extend to any other hardware/software implementation of Android.
iOS has received the same certification and can now be used on government systems. Apple-hating IT managers no longer have an excuse to go with other products.
Game changer. iOS already dominates enterprise compared to Android and this is the final nail in the coffin. Only bad thing is I like BB and prefer the market to have a couple strong competitors to spur each other along. I feel this could be tragedy for BB.
The best way for them to stave off Google is to offer a competing GMail for Enterprise. The price point shouldn't be that hard to match at this point.
Thailand
Seems like you have two issues going on here. One is business use and the other is the need to get analysts and bloggers to shut up with their doom and gloom FUD that Apple is failing so folks will stop selling their stocks.
Could we say that this is a good job of Forstall?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ifij775
Apple needs to step it up in the enterprise to fend off Android and Blackberry. It's good to see Apple including these features
Fend off? iOS is already dominating enterprise even before they introduced these management tools. This will cement their position as the new platform of choice.
Doesn't Apple already offer (or soon offer) everything needed for SMB at least:
I had something perfect working with a jailbreak and sbsettings, but with apple's crackdown on jailbreaking and forced os upgrades in configurator, I cannot use that approach.
Quote:
For downloading and installing applications and content, Catching Server 2 for OS X Mavericks Server also supports iOS 7. This will allow businesses to speed up the download and delivery of content from the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore.
Er, I think you mean Caching Server…
Great move by Apple. Blackberry was the IT choice for years and in some cases may still be, but Apple gained dominance mostly by user preference. Now Apple is taking steps to solidify its choice as first place for both users and IT.
Phones are a very personal item, to the point most IT departments really have little say. If an IT guy tries to tell a diehard Apple user they have to switch and use Android, expect fireworks
Where it does have hooks is in the cases where IT does buy the phone, users may invariably switch over because having two phones is a pain (ie Apple phone for business, Android personal or vice versa).
Not sure if Apple has any dual SIM prototypes but I think there are several Android variants that will truly allow separation of 'business use' and 'personal use' on a single device.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh
While I understand the importance of this push, they really need to push again for Macs in the enterprise. It is the ecosystem that gives them long-term benefits. I blew a gasket when I found out how much our company was paying for Dell laptops when 80% could be done natively in OSX, at a comparable price with much better value.
The best way for them to stave off Google is to offer a competing GMail for Enterprise. The price point shouldn't be that hard to match at this point.
You're skating to where the puck was.
Honestly, the desktop is not where you want to go. iPads will soon replace desktops. Why. Deskside support is the most expensive thing about desktops. Between VDI and an cloud/app based infrastructure, why would any corporate drone need anything more than an iPad, wireless keyboard. Drone mind you, not developer, not quant, not graphic designer, not research scientist... but sales, marketing, accounting, etc.
in 10 years or so, The term 'laptop' will go the way of 'core memory' Desktops will install on 20% of the current desktop footprint, the remainder moving to a mobile tablet. Desktops will be diskless for the most part, as they will emulate the support structure of an iDevice. Any 'legacy' will be done on VDI, a frame of VMs you allocate to those who need access to fat Win Apps.
Not now... but soon. The key to winning the corporate 'footprint' is to a) make the support costs of an iDevice that of an old pager. Provisioning is getting the serial number, linking to an AD entry, and integrating it to the security gateway (this user and this device combo is 'approved'). Deprovisioning is a remote wipe. Failed device. See Provisioning/deprovisioning. as no data should be stored locally. Once you can do that, then all phones, laptops and mobility is iOS. Dev Team has to support iOS development, they get mac pros. In an App world, tight coordination between the apps on the iDevice (Numbers) and the quants desktop will drive quants to evolve to numbers... Keynote drives PPT off as a requirement. and word/pages? in a PDF world?
This is why the key for Microsoft to survive is to get Office onto the primary mobile devices. Pages and Word on the web is the shootout for control of the corp world, now that Surface is showing how late to the game it is.
Pushing macs... hah... Macs will come in as part of the Halo effect of iDevices...