The unheralded enterprise angle for the new iPhone

Apple may have seen mixed reviews of its new iPhone 5S, but analysts have said a series of enterprise features could help the smartphone forge a position in the work environment.

"It will no doubt find its way into workplaces and be supported by IT departments," said Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi.  

The iPhone 5S features a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. This delivers a new level of biometric security that will appeal to big enterprises and government employees who deal with sensitive data.

"Biometric identity management is something that many businesses currently do and plan to do in the future. This kind of development highlights the possibilities of biometrics in business environments," Fadaghi told CRN.

Ovum chief telecom analyst Jan Dawson agreed. "I think there are big advancements with the finger print sensor. It allows a new form of security for devices and authenticating users."

Another feature expected to prove popular with enterprises is the ability to set up virtual private networks specific to individual applications.

"That's something appealing for enterprises as corporate resources can be accessed securely," Dawson told CRN.

This feature ensures only secure applications have access to sensitive data stored on a company VPN. It also safeguards a business from the liability of having an employee's personal information transported to the network.

Dawson anticipates the feature will prove popular with SMBs because there is no legacy infrastructure to worry about.

"The question is: are enterprises going to put in the effort to make it work? Smaller businesses probably will rather than larger businesses."

Another noteworthy feature is the smartphone's 64-bit architecture, which puts it in line with powerful business computers. It is the first smartphone ever to adopt this architecture, claimed Apple.

"The smartphone market becoming more like the PC market," Dawson said.

Teslyte analyst Fadaghi said this computer-like shift could bear significant implications in the future, particularly if Apple's iPad follows suit.

"The ecosystem they're creating will be better suited to support businesses," Fadaghi said.

"Having an environment that is conducive to business applications by supporting computer infrastructure, like 64-bit, could potentially accelerate the shift from the PC" to post-PC devices, he added.

"It's the tip of the iceberg," Fadaghi said.  

Apple will release the iPhone 5S in Australia on 20 September.