Windows Phone 7 Needs to Gain Enterprises Trust
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In addition, the Windows Phone 7 will come with mobile
versions of Microsoft Office, including the ability to work with SharePoint
Server. While there's some question about how convenient it will be to create
or edit documents on a phone, the capability will be there. So not only can you
create your own PowerPoint slides while you ride the bus, but you can use the
Windows Phone 7 sharing feature to inflict them on others.
But there's more to being
a good enterprise phone than just working with Exchange and being able to
edit Office documents. Other phones can do these tasks, too. What will matter
to enterprise IT managers is whether Windows Phone 7 can be integrated easily
into the enterprise, and whether it can be made secure enough to be trusted.
There are some encouraging signs here. Microsoft is already promising the
ability to find a lost phone, to erase and lock a phone remotely, and even to
post a "Please Return" message on the screen.
Missing so far is any mention of other abilities to
control the phone remotely, such as the ability that's present in Exchange
Server to turn off the camera in some circumstances. Without that, there will
be organizations that will not be able to allow Windows Phone 7 phones into the
workplace.
This may not matter, of course, since the real direction
of the device appears to be recreation and entertainment rather than work. But
part of the reason for the success of the iPhone and the many Android devices
is the ability to present something useful to virtually all users.
Apple went to a lot of trouble to make the iPhone
enterprise-friendly. So despite its emphasis as a music and movie platform, it
also includes the ability to be managed by the enterprise. BlackBerry devices,
of course, are tightly integrated with enterprise needs, and while Windows
Phone 7 devices may not need to emulate that capability, Microsoft does need to
address use in the enterprise if Phone 7 is to be successful in that part of
the market.
Right now, we don't know exactly what Microsoft will be
able to deliver with Windows Phone 7, although one hopes it's a lot more like
the functionality of the iPhone and Android devices than like the ill-fated
Kin. Despite the new, slightly Kin-like screen, at least some of the parts seem
to be in place. But a great deal will depend on whether enough of them are
there for IT managers to care about Windows Phone 7.
Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazineÃÃÃs Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.
