By Natasha Lomas, 16 June 2009 12:36
NEWS
The Apple iPhone may have got a makeover last week but it's not enough to convince CIOs the device has a place in business.
In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury, IT chiefs were asked whether they're planning to offer Apple's touchscreen device as part of their range of corporate mobile phones - and the vast majority of IT chiefs said they are not.
Tech chiefs dismissed the iPhone option for a variety of reasons ranging from the fact it's only available from a single mobile provider, to poor battery life and even a fear of appearing profligate.
Only two of the 12 IT chiefs were willing to give it a vote of corporate confidence.
However, the remaining 10 members of the CIO Jury are not heading to Cupertino - at least, not yet.
Gavin Megnauth, director of operations & group IT for recruiter Morgan Hunt, said although the iPhone has its attractions there are still big drawbacks to the device.
"While there is clearly some momentum to accept iPhones as a corporate tool we won't be adopting at this juncture. The iPhone battery life simply doesn't compare to that of a BlackBerry and speed of use as a mobile email tool still doesn't compare," he said.
"Our research suggests that companies adopting the iPhone are the sort of companies where the PDA is an executive status symbol rather than a workhorse to genuinely aid the productivity of staff," he added.
There are also too many potential iPhone 'cons' for David Suthers, CIO of Masterlease: "High cost of ownership, lock-in to O2 and potential abuse of company resources via iTunes would be my main reasons [against it]," he said.
For Rob Neil, head of ICT and customer services at Ashford Borough Council, the main reason to avoid the iPhone is the fact it's not available from the Council's corporate mobile telephony provider.
However, he added that there could also be issues around the perception of the device: "Whilst it is undoubtedly a fine email and mobile internet client, with useful GPS apps, I can just see the headlines saying 'council gives free iPod to staff'."
Meanwhile Dr Ben Booth, global chief technology officer for Ipsos, believes security is still a bugbear. "The new model boasts lots more consumer-oriented features but (as far as I can see from the press releases) the basic security weaknesses have not been addressed," he said.
But the iPhone's charms are clearly hard at work elsewhere. While it's "not yet" on the menu at ITN, Ian Auger, head of IT & communications, said: "It is becoming more attractive though."
The Apple mobile is also turning heads at Sodexo - albeit as non-corporate devices. Kevin Fitzpatrick, CIO, Northern Europe, said the company offers BlackBerrys for "enhanced functionality/mobility users" and standard mobiles for the majority of staff but a "large number of colleagues" use iPhones as personal devices. It has no plans to offer corporate iPhones however.
One company already offering iPhones as corporate devices is Harvey Nash. "We already provision the device to senior sales people and see the new version as offering an increased set of capabilities/capacity to widen this pool even further," Alastair Behenna, CIO at the recruiter, said.
Another iPhone fan is Mike Roberts, IT director of The London Clinic, who spoke up for the iPhone's Outlook connectivity skills. "We use BlackBerry now and the iPhone offers better connectivity with Outlook," he said.
When polled about offering the iPhone as a corporate device back in 2007, 11 out of 12 CIO Jury members then said they had no plans to do so, suggesting Apple's hardware has made a degree of limited progress in infiltrating the business world.
This CIO Jury was:
- Ian Auger, head of IT & communications, ITN
- Alastair Behenna, CIO, Harvey Nash
- Dr Ben Booth, global chief technology officer, Ipsos
- Pete Crowe, IT director, Fat Face
- Kevin Fitzpatrick, CIO Northern Europe, Sodexo
- Steve Gediking, head of IT & facilities, Independent Police Complaints Commission
- John Keeling, CIO, John Lewis
- Gavin Megnauth, director of operations & group IT, Morgan Hunt
- Rob Neil, head of ICT and customer services, Ashford Borough Council
- Mike Roberts, IT director, The London Clinic
- Richard Storey, head of IT, Guys & St Thomas Hospital
- David Suthers, CIO, Masterlease
Want to be part of silicon.com's CIO Jury and have your say on the hot issues for IT departments? If you are a CIO, CTO, IT director or equivalent at a large or small company in the private or public sector and you want to be part of silicon.com's CIO Jury pool, or you know an IT chief who should be, then drop us a line at editorial@silicon.com
Comments
There are 18 comments. Join the discussion
1. ToddA
This rather funny. The objections appear to largely be that the device is too well made (we'll look too generous if we buy it, so we'll give them something that's hard to use and a bit cheaper), we signed a wireless contract with a backward-looking company that didn't get the iPhone in our market, and it's too flexible (we want a phone that will do only talk and text because that's the only thing that will ever have value).
It may seem like the safe move today, but tomorrow, your company will be out of business and you'll lose your job anyway.
2. realitybites
Funny stuff.
These guys aren't exactly at the forefront of interglobal business.
All of their comments seem to be a rehash from reading noneducational blogs written by bloggers that aren't actually in the infrastructure business and know nothing except what they're told.
Pity.
3. Synthmeister
"Profligate?" The iPhone is no more or less expensive than other smart phones, especially with the $99 option.
And do these guys actually even know anything about the iPhone and its enterprise capabilities? Almost every one of their concerns has been addressed with OS 3.0.
Push email
Push contacts
Push calendar
Global Address List (GAL) support
Certificates and identities
WPA2/802.1X
Enforced security policies
More VPN protocols
Device configuration
Remote wipe
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
These CIOs will quickly change their minds once the CEOs buy an iPhone.
4. Frank Malloy
Clearly shows the bias and anti-Apple prejudice of IT management. Apparently an easy-to-use phone with outstanding third-party business applications is not desired?
Most of the fear and bias stems from the fact that Apple is known to require less IT support due to superior design, robustness, and usability.
It's a clear case of CYA. Enjoy your BlackBerries, boys...
5. lrd
The iPhone doesn't need CTO approval.
In the past 6 months I've seen more and more iPhones at work. Basically, people are taking the attitude : I will use what I want to use. Especially since many companies are cutting back on support for Blackberrys.
But we must remember that big business because of support cost, unit cost, etc. Is rarely at the forefront of technology these days.
As a matter of fact, in the past seven to nine years innovation has really come on the consumer side first and then maybe incorporated by big business.
In short, the iPhone's could and will be a great success story san big business. After all, for every big business there are a 1,000 smaller, more agile businesses- this is Apple needs to focus. Not the corner office. After all how many corners are there to a building?
6. Viswakarma
CIOs are trying to protect their turf. They do not want to give up their control of the information flow in the enterprise or their death grip on the user needs. I think the enterprises should split the IT infrastructure into multiple segments, one dedicated to serving the people, other serving the business, and the last one that serves the CIOs.
CIOs are a roadblocks to the productivity gains provided by new technologies. They want to monopolize the information infrastructure of an enterprise.
7. anonymous
It's pretty obvious that a 'jury' of people made up of individuals whose background and experience has been intimately connected to Microsoft would 'think' that anything else was not good enough.
I'm disappointed that people don't understand this basic principle.
If I take a student in college, indoctrinate them that Microsoft's products are the only 'business' class products, then let them spend most if not all of their careers in a Microsoft dominated corporate environment, that they would automatically come to the conclusion that nothing else compares.
8. Joe Anonymous
Who cares what your silly jury says? The iPhone is in huge demand and I know more people in business with iPhones than any other smart phone.
Someday, these CIOs are going to learn that their job should be to support their users - rather than dictating what everyone can use.
One can make the case that for operating systems, support can be an issue if there are no standards. (It's a lousy, unsupported argument, but it can be made). But the support costs for cell phones are insignificant - so that argument doesn't work.
9. Angus (nuxnix)
What a bunch of dinosaurs. Let talent choose their own technology or face a tidal wave of mediocrity.
10. Manny
Really? The speed of access to email is a measure? So these same CIO's that have SAP or other ERP systems, did conduct a test to measure things like speed to create a Purchase Order?
Come on guys.
11. Drew Stephenson
It never ceases to amaze me how much vitriol is produced whenever an apple-critical piece is published here.
Still, always gives me a bit of a chuckle
12. Peter Trinder
The connectivity and special medical apps that are being developed must surely be attractive to the medical profession. I note that the London Clinic and St Thomas are on the Pro list, was this their reason?
13. Phil Tyke
it was rather predictable to see the back-lash that this article was going to get.
Apple as a brand manages to yield a cult like following among passionate techies but devoid of commercial accumen.
So where is the compelling business case for me to ditch a corporate investment in blackberry and rapidly migrate to iphone.
The consensus of the CIO panel simply appears to be that the iphone is still maturing.
Someone made the comment that the jury weren't -global players'.
I'd be grateful if someone could list the truly global companies that have deployed 5000+ iphone devices.
I do think speed of email is relevant. In time critical envrironments or areas where executives are getting 300+ emails per day speed of navigation and response is definately a key factor.
I'm not saying that the iphone won't get further corporate penetration. As the biggest selling handset now in the US there is bound to be more acceptance by corporates - but I think it will be where the IT department lack the political capital internally and acquiece to end-user pressure (or are wowed by the toys).
Apple have no track record of mass penetration into the corporate world. The mac remains a niche tool - however much of a design icon it might be.
14. Andrew
It's quite evident from some of the comments that some of the panel have neither read the Apple deployment guides nor analysed the comparative security risks. Methinks there's an element of knowing what you know and not investigating what you don't.
Having spent some time actually doing my homework, I think that Apple's solution is different not inherently bad. Un-pwned, iPhone OS has key elements ahead of many devices in an aging estate. Not least is the fact that the OS actually gets updated universally. The key thing that Apple need to work on is a way of blocking connections from handsets on older OS versions and those which have been pwned. Enterprise iTunes would be useful too.
So aside from the management view, here's the thing. Your employees are voting with their feet. I wonder what would be saved on costs and what gains could be made on employee satisfaction if CIOs found a way of managing capable devices that the employees are funding?
15. Kit Ruparel
It's just another phone!
I'm rather suprised this question was deemed interesting or worthy enough to be considered by the CIO Jury. Do we really need senior IT professionals adding to the hype that, 2 years after it's release, the iPhone has somehow continued to transcend from cool fashion accessory into perhaps some potential missing link in an organisation's or individual's communications and productivity makeup.
I've got lots of users that bought into the hype and demanded them the day they were released, about half of which have since got bored of showing off the multi-touch screen in the pub and returned to their Blackberries, Windows Mobiles, Symbians or reliable non-smartphones.
Those that have stuck with the iPhone and that have already tried the new version of the OS are pleased with the cut & paste, but generally, as they weren't necessary the power-smartphone users of the organisation, are still not worried about the fact that the iPhone still significanlty lags behind, feature and specification wise smartphone rivals.
My point here is simply that each to there own - basded on their fashion and productivity needs. ...I look forward to future important debate about whether employees prefer HP laptops over Sony, IBM or Dell, etc., and which breakfast cereal they prefer to have in the morning.
16. anonymous
"We already provision the device"?
"We already provide the device".
17. Bored with technology
"you'll lose your job, you'll go out of business" if you don't buy an iphone. Good god, then we must all rush out and buy one, now, immediately, otherwise I'll be joining the unemployment queue within days. I really need to know the ambient noise levels in the retaurant and so do all my employees. If it wasn't so funny it would be tragic. And frankly somewhat boring.
18. anonymous
One of the negatives has been the lack of a keyboard. But you do not need a keyboard if you use the 'Say it & Mail it' iPhone app. Send voice memos via email instead of typing!