[MW Forums]

The analyst firm Gartner will tell IT executives to keep Apple’s iPhone away from their networks, in a research report to be released within a week. more

[j_drake]

Quote:

---

Rizzo says. Im not giving up my BlackBerry. I like the keyboard, I like the trackball and I like the service.

---

Do we care? Would love to see what this guys opinion was on the iPod prior to it's release and subsequent failure, oh wait, /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif oh never mind! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[rjwill246]

What an extraordinary position to take. While Gartner has shown incredible anti-Apple bias in the past, this is really over the top! And shows that the MS/anti-Apple camp is having heart attacks over the iPhone.
How it can be used in enterprise will become more apparent as the days go by and advantage is taken of its capabilities. That may mean some third party apps to the rescue, if indeed rescue is needed. They are assuming too, that the iPhone will remain static in terms of its capabilities, rather than evolving. Many of the "corporate friendly" devices did not begin that way and those devices are far from being absolutely secure even now, though Gartner seems to want you to believe otherwise.
Gartner- you have truly overstepped your mark as analysts. You are not neutral and from here on, anyone should be concerned about your abilities to advise correctly. I guess, in your view, Outlook is as secure as Fort Knox! And there are simply NO nasty macros in Word or Excel and Melissa-A/B/C etc. etc. were all figments of another firmament's imagination.

[hexor]

This is ridiculous.. does he even know for certain there is no firewall??? there is a built-in firewall on os x.. and since the iPhone runs OS X one has to wonder..

[vfx2k4]

Ha ha- try telling that to folks who have actually seen one and begun salivating. Think with your heart not this jackal's head...

[MacTechAspen]

Being an OS X device I suspect the iPhone will be much more secure than these analysts realize. And while it may not be able to connect to popular enterprise networks it certainly does have a full featured email client.
The funniest part of the article is the guy who is already trashing the iPhone for not living up to its battery claims. This may or may not be accurate, but it is only speculation at this point.
Much has been made of the lack of keyboard for texting. Do these people not get it, or is the lack of tactile feedback really a make it or break it feature? If there was no feedback from the keyboard at all I could see it being a problem, but the pop up letters look like a great solution.
So many questions remain. In fact pretty much all of the questions have gone unanswered.

[*]What will the use/data plan be like?

[*]Will it be able to read pdf files?

[*]What about Word?

[*]What are the security features, if any?

[*]What exactly do I have to do next week to get one?

[*]Does having signed up on the AT&T web site really lead to getting a phone?

[*]Will Stephen Colbert get one before me?

[/list]

[amadeopuzzo]

I never understood how these shills could sleep at night.

[t0ny]

Why do you even waste bandwidth on people like this? People like this have historically spewed out stupidity after stupidity and have repeatedly looked like idiots vis a vis the markets, the consumer, and more importantly, the end result $$. These guys both desperately need attention and sound like a bunch of cry babies that Apple has dismissed and ignored compared to other 'real' analysts. Gartner is a joke.

[Einherji]

After having gone through Gartners home page (http://www.gartner.com/) last year, before it got out of hand in design an complexity, one thing was clear. They seem very bad at sensing trends in the Hi-Tech World! Which is though one of their self-claimed fortes. Gartner is best at foreseeing what has already happened or is in transition already. Therefore iPhone is too complicated phenomenon for those guy, as yet. They will have known everything all along when things start changing by the iPhone. On top of all, they seem too friendly with Microsoft and have been from the start of both companies in early the 80s. An opinion from Gartners is worth little per se but the business world is full of stagnant ideas too and conservative attitude in general so any haleluja from that crowd will depend on the creativity of their daily tasks. Talking of video capabilities alone in iPhone makes possible for everyone to have a video conference on the go, even when you are playing golf or on the toilet. A lot easier than with some of the old stuff modern business people is using now. Gartners came up with a dodgy report late last year about crumbling iPod sails and music on the iTunes Store. Have they asked Apple perdon for that move in a pro-MS campaign in favour of the Zune around that time? In face of experience, Gartners are a lobby for Microsoft and a handful of close knit companies to MS. Ergo: The dont need to be taken seriously due to lack of perception for the times ahead.

[heyjp]

I think the million dollar (billion dollar?) question is the keyboard. i have read from a few sources out of the few sources that have used an iPhone... that the non-tactile keyboard IS an issue. I would bet that Apple has spent a LOT of time in the last 6 months working on that keyboard.
You gotta remember that Jobs RAVES about all his pet projects (the Apple Boombox... redefining music in the living room... yeah, right!). While I am confident that 95% of the iPhone IS going to be stupendous, that keyboard could be a pain! An important 5%.
Also, the Gartner guys are taking the "large enterprise IT manager approach". I would agree that the iPhone is a "business nightmare". All the gee whiz stuff is aimed at non-business applications. I have a buddy that is an EXEC at Bank of America. Anytime he installs iTunes on his laptop... the next time he ties into the corporate network... it gets erased. They don't want games and music on their machines. They don't have that kind of control over the iPhone. They do over laptops and CrackBerries.
Jim

[lakorai]

I'm going to have to agree with Gardner. I support Mac OS X and OS X Server in a SMB environment. It is a nightmare because of half-ass programming from 3rd party vendors, expensive repairs and lack of availability of parts. This is the issue when you go with proprietary equipment.
Apple's iPhone will NOT be allowed or supported by our e-mail environment. Apple's iPhone doesn't support remote wipe (like with Exchange), true SSL, RADIUS for wifi etc. MANY security features are missinbg. I am sad to say that Palm's security sucks too, but they do support secure SSL encryption with Exchange Server.
Apple doesn't have something nearly as sophisticated as Exchange. No calendar, contacts and e-mail synchronization (at least not yet). No remote wipe. No real security/encryption.
As IT admins we must deploy what works and what is secure. Right now a $300 windows mobile smart phone fits the bill for security, availability and confidentiality. The good old CIA CISSP triad is supported in Windows Mobile 5.0. OS X iPhone doesn't support the needs of the enterprise.
The lack of 3rd party apps is also a major issue, which makes the thing very limited for business users.
Other than that it's a great consumer device. =)
-Mike Yockey
YYS PC
IT Administrator

[TeaEarleGreyHot]

I'm sure the business advantages will become clear in time. I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple introduce a business version of the iPhone addressing the specific needs, in 6-12 months.

[BradPDX]

I've done very well for myself while never, ever working for a large company with stiff IT rules - am just reminded of the many, many reasons why!
If I ever "need" a Blackberry, shoot me. I have failed.

[leicaman]

Does Gartner tell IT admins not to distribute that security black hole Windows? No.
A CEO in love this this phone will open the way, and no IT dog "tail wagging the dog" admin. is going to stop it. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif