Connecting Your iPhone or iPad with Your Business

The iPhone has a long way to go to enable the level of business integration provided by BlackBerry or Windows Mobile smartphones, but Apple has made great strides since the iPhone was introduced. Despite the hype around the iPad, at its core it is essentially a giant iPhone--or, more accurately, an iPod Touch--which means it can leverage the same tools for business integration.

Enterprise Integration

The iPhone had a rough start for business professionals, but once Apple added the ability to connect with Microsoft Exchange messaging it became much more viable as a business tool. With Exchange or other standards-based systems, the iPhone or iPad can receive e-mail, contact, and calendar updates automatically.

For businesses that use Exchange Server 2003 or 2007, though, Exchange and ActiveSync provide a number of other administrative benefits. For example, in the event of a lost or stolen iPhone, the data and settings on the device can be wiped remotely by issuing a command from Exchange.

Apple doesn't appear to be in any hurry to develop an equivalent to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) to enable IT administrators' complete internal control of the iPhone. Apple has created some business tools to help out, though.