Analysts Discuss the Android, iPhone Management Challenge

Informed about Tangoe's perspective, Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler indicated that the iPhone is still the gold standard for smartphones. 

"While it's true that Android's openness makes it easier for vendors to get in and get going, at the end of the day, there's no market for these vendors if they don't support iPhone," Schadler told eWEEK.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told eWEEK his research company recommends the iPhone for enterprise use over Android phones.

This is because Gartner believes mobile platform providers must institute two policies when connecting to the leading Microsoft Exchange e-mail server: to wipe the device when lost or stolen and to force the use of a complex device password with periodic changes. The Android devices do not support either feature.

"With a third party like Tangoe you can make the Android device more secure and manageable, but only to a degree because the firmware is not in the device to ensure that some items cannot be compromised," Dulaney explained.

"With Apple you have no access to the file system, no background processing and no interprocess communications. So no app can manage the entire platform. With Android you don't have those restrictions."

Android support is just one facet of Tangoe's MDM V5.0, of course.

The suite adds new business intelligence capabilities and sports new carrier plan monitoring and management features to help administrators delegate carrier plans to mobile device users on the fly.

The management suite also helps companies get a better handle on "international roaming charges, smartphone usage and policy monitoring," Tangoe said.

Palen said this is important because, "The costs associated with overage charges, international roaming and other services not included in a smartphone user's existing corporate plan can be very substantial." Enterprises have a hard time monitoring but managing these expenses in an efficient manner, she said.