The iPhone’s already found its way into the workplace, but in many cases, it’s being used in unsanctioned ways or with just a modicum of IT oversight. AT&T today unveiled a way it’s aiming to help administrators ensure that the Apple iPhone comes fully under IT’s control, making certain that they can enforce security, authentication and encryption for the device. AT&T WorkBench also enables IT to add new enterprise-friendly features to the iPhone. For one thing, it lets users run multiple enterprise Web applications simultaneously, and to easily synchronize offline data once they reconnect to the network. It’s a move that AT&T, the No. 2 U.S. mobile carrier and the iPhone’s excusive partner in the U.S. is betting will soften businesses’ stance on allowing and supporting the iPhone within their walls. EnterpriseMobileToday takes a look.
AT&T today took a major step forward in resolving IT issues pertaining to the iPhone in the enterprise with the introduction of a native application offering authentication and encryption to allow businesses to more securely deploy and manage Web applications.
The new offering, AT&T WorkBench, builds on the AT&T Mobile Enterprise Applications Platform (AT&T MEAP) by providing features that will address some formerly lacking security measures related to use of the iPhone in the enterprise. While the iPhone faithful have been clamoring to use the iconic device in the workplace more and more over the past year, mobile IT staff have been reluctant to embrace it.
