Gartner: Expect an enterprise iPhone

Gartner previously dismissed the idea of iPhones becoming business tools, but the analyst group seems to be warming to the possibility.

"I would expect Apple in the future might see some potential in the enterprise market and maybe have devices for enterprise users, or maybe just add to their phone some of the features which would make the device more reasonable for an enterprise deployment," said Monica Basso, research director at Gartner. "Certainly the support for (the Microsoft synchronization program) ActiveSync is one of these, (as is) independence from the carrier."

Basso said that enterprises' need for flexibility meant different back-end servers would need to be supported, and suggested that a licensing of Microsoft's mobile-synchronization software would make the iPhone more attractive to businesses using the company's Exchange Server messaging software.

"The Exchange e-mail server is the market leader...I would expect in the future it might happen that we see Apple licensing the ActiveSync software to support direct push on their phones, as Nokia and other manufacturers have done," Basso said in an interview on Tuesday. "It is not impossible despite the fact that Apple and Microsoft don't look like partners. There would be some mutual benefits for both of them."

Despite her predictions, Basso said the potential for security problems would render the current version of the iPhone unsuitable for enterprise use.

"If I look at the iPhone, I see it more as a new threat for enterprises (than) something that is secure. There is little support nowadays from a security standpoint that can be put on the iPhone. It doesn't support any of the enterprise mobile e-mail solutions. It doesn't support Exchange direct push. The only thing that is supported (are e-mail clients) that can be connected to POP3 or IMAP4 servers, which cannot be connected to e-mail servers that sit behind the firewall. This exposes the e-mail server in a way that is not considered secure."

Basso also suggested that the iPhone's lack of standardized push e-mail support might lead users to forward their corporate e-mail to a commercial service such as Yahoo, which could create further security headaches.

However, she conceded that the approach taken by companies offering iPhone-based enterprise application access through the phone's Safari browser--WebEx and NetSuite being two examples--could reduce the exposure to security threats because less data is stored on the device itself. Gartner predicts that, in 2012, 10 million smart phones containing corporate data will be lost or stolen.

Analysts at Butler Group have also raised concerns that, without proper administration of the use of iPhones in businesses, the device will be "user pushed" into companies by owners seeking to integrate their work and personal-management tools.

The iPhone is currently distributed only in the U.S. Rumors suggest the device will make its U.K. debut later this year through the mobile operator O2.

Neither Apple nor Microsoft could offer immediate comment.

David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.