iOS 12 Improves Security, Performance of iPhones, iPads

Today’s topics include Apple improving mobile devices’ security and performance with iOS 12, and Lenovo partnering with NetApp to add stronger flash capabilities.

Apple recently released its iOS 12 mobile operating system, and it includes some cool new features to try out on your iPhone or iPad. However, unlike previous releases where older products bogged down and instability rose, the new version is intended to make things work faster, improve stability and improve security.

For enterprise users, the update will have a positive impact on device life cycle and on the management of these devices. The performance improvements that come with iOS 12 are significant, which means managers won’t be under as much pressure to replace devices while they’re still usable, saving money over time and making management simpler.

The security improvements will also help improve device longevity. Two significant security improvements are a series of password management features and changes to two-factor authentication that will make its use less onerous.

Lenovo, with its data center server and storage businesses, is partnering with NetApp and its expertise in all-flash and hybrid-flash storage to create a joint venture in China that will help the vendors push new storage and data management products into the country’s massive IT market.

The alliance strengthens Lenovo’s position in the data center as it competes with the likes of Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco Systems, while NetApp catches on with a top-tier vendor that is seeing rapid growth in its server and storage businesses.

In a rapidly evolving IT space that is becoming more data-centric and is being driven by such trends as the cloud, data analytics, the internet of things and greater mobility, a partnership like the one between Lenovo and NetApp can be beneficial to both vendors, according to Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.