The Apple-led influx of smartphones into the lives of ordinary people has been a consumer revolution. However, its impact on business has been no less remarkable.
For resellers there are few opportunities to sell services with iPhones to SMBs, but that will change quickly. Employees in large enterprises have also brought their smartphones with them to work which has created issues with security, integration and mobile device management.
Enterprises are moving from an environment standardised on a single device such as a Blackberry to one with competing platforms (Apple iOS, Google Android) and device types (smartphones, tablets, unified communications devices).
"Next year they might have five different platforms and then it becomes really messy. All of a sudden it's become a hell of a lot harder to use the [number] of platforms employees want to use," says Robin Simpson.
Vendors such as Sybase have released mobile management software to manage and secure these platforms.
Sybase, recently acquired by SAP, sells its Afaria platform to back up, encrypt and remotely wipe data on mobile devices. It also provides a centralised console for updating, removing and adding applications, data and content on a mobile-device fleet without users' knowledge or input.
SMB needs may be humbler but they still need centralised management for co-ordinating contact management, email and remote backup.
Melbourne-based managed services provider ManageNet scooped up MobileIron, a mobile device management application from the US backed by venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. MobileIron can set up email, enforce security policy, and find and wipe any registered device. Besides iPhones it handles iPads, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile.
ManageNet business development manager Denham Seneviratne says that because MobileIron is approved by Apple for iPhones in the enterprise, ManageNet has received leads directly from the popular vendor.
"I've never seen a pipeline like it," Seneviratne says. "It's a very hot space." ManageNet recently won Simplot and Murray Goulburn and is working with Rio Tinto, NAB and BHP.
Employee-owned iPhones are driving demand in 90 percent of cases and SMBs are already signing up, says Seneviratne. Carlton Football Club, a recent customer which has about 60 employees with iPhones, was struggling to manage and secure them.
The main concern are hacked (or "jailbroken") iPhones posing a security risk to corporate email or wireless networks. MobileIron also controls global roaming charges by providing live data on usage.
It is worth checking out the competition. MobileIron told ManageNet it wasn't looking at any other reseller for Australia except Telstra.
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