Trend Spotting: iPhone Adoption in the Enterprise
by Bill French on 01/05/09 at 6:18 pm
Bill French is an information architect specializing in Internet applications. He is also the co-founder of MyST Technology Partners and Senior Editor for iPhoneCTO.
There are many ways to predict the future; taro cards, palm reading, crystal balls. But one of the best tools is pattern spotting through simple observations.
Technology vendors rarely pursue markets without a fundamental belief new revenues opportunities lay ahead. Observing vendor behavior to glean patterns of adoption is not a perfect science, but it does provide insight into some likely outcomes and the current trajectory. Add a little tracking on industry analysts, and you have the makings of a reasonably accurate trending approach.
To learn how business people are increasingly using the iPhone to improve operations, I decided to take a stroll through the blogosphere. Here’s a taste of what I found…
From the folks at PSFK.com …
Apple reminds us that there’s much more to running a business and the iPhone “might just have an app” for all those other tasks we should be doing.
From ZDNet …
Kraft Foods uses iPhone support to demonstrate that IT is serious about supporting culture change. The company was a part of Apple’s iPhone enterprise beta program in April 2008, and as of January 2009, almost half of Kraft Foods’ mobile users have iPhones, with about 400 new iPhones ordered each month.
From Ian Thain at the Sybase Blog …
iAnywhere Mobile Office will securely deliver data over-the-air from IBM Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange servers, and it will enable configurable application password protection and provides on-device encryption for all business data contained within the iAnywhere Mobile Office application on an iPhone. (view video)
From American Legal Technology Insider …
nFlow announced that it has developed an innovative and cost-effective solution that fully supports enterprise-class digital dictation from iPhone devices.
From CNet | Australia …
iPhone passed Gartner’s security tests … “The device can be wiped clean via the issuance of a standard instruction from Exchange, and can force the use of a complex password if the alphanumeric setting is checked on the Exchange 2003 SP2 or 2007 administrative console”.
From CheckPoint eLearning …
The initial focuses for Mohive’s new eLearning strategy will be healthcare, transportation, and retail, where the rapid-eLearning specialist believes demand will mature fastest.
From MobileTechNews …
The survey revealed a more than 100 percent increase in support for iPhones and a 40 percent increase in Symbian-based mobile devices from 2008 to 2009.
From Zenprise …
“In a complicated mobile device environment, simplicity is key,” said Matthew Morse, Senior Administrator, IT Architect, Varian Information Technology for Varian Medical Systems. “When troubleshooting mobile user problems, system administrators need to know what’s going on across other systems and servers. Zenprise’s web-based dashboards make it easy for our help desk personnel to proactively identify mobile service issues. The dashboards allow our staff to deliver higher service levels to our mobile users.”
From Wireless blog …
With iPhone data usage going through the roof, it’s not surprising that AT&T would desperately like to ensure that its macro network does not face a backhaul bandwidth crunch. With femtos providing sufficient capacity indoors, the macro network can service the outdoors, reducing output power at the cell site, boosting capacity and offering a better data experience when users are on the move.
From Vodafone …
The iPhone is packed with features and functionality to provide our Global Enterprise customers with the applications they need and want to work within their mobile environment. Click here to download the Vodafone Global Enterprise iPhone sales training program.
While iPhone-in-the-enterprise challenges still abound, the patterns are clear; iPhone devices and application adoption are on a trajectory that is likely to increase in steepness in the near term. The long term is equally promising as early business adopters validate wider enterprise value and show early successes.
Not surprising to many, it’s possible [today] to find evidence of iPhone use in almost every major industry. iPhone changes the game for many reasons – most important is agility. There’s no single feature of the iPhone that is responsible for creating an enterprise adoption tipping point. However, the aggregate agility of this device is clearly the driving evolutionary mechanism that enterprises find most compelling.
