Apple + Security & Privacy

When the iPhone was first released, businesses were hesitant to support the device because of many security weaknesses inherent in its operating system. But with improvements made in the latest version of the iPhone operating system, businesses are starting to adopt Apple’s phone. With a combination of support for Microsoft Exchange, and its security features, and the improved iPhone Configuration Utility, the iPhone has proven safe and secure. In addition, it is expected that additional security enhancements will be added in the near future.

One point that may make the iPhone inherently secure is the closed system: with Apple only allowing approved software to be installed (at least on phones that are not jailbroken), there is much less chance that rogue applications will be added to iPhones.

A NetworkWorld article suggests that two major changes will be made in the near future that will lead to reinforced security. The first is “support for over-the-air application downloads and firmware updates,” meaning that users won’t be able to make changes to their phones by connecting them to iTunes. Businesses will be able to fully control the applications installed on iPhones, as well as the device’s configurations. The second expected change is “to lock the iPhone’s boot loader to prevent the phone from being jailbroken.” While this is laudable, it’s highly unlikely that the developers who maintain jailbreaking software will not find a way around this.

One further suggestion is opening up the platform to security applications: Ken Dulaney, vice president of mobile computing for Gartner, “speculates that Apple may introduce a way for these vendors to exploit limited background processing (or multi-tasking) on the iPhone. That would let a security application connect with, monitor and control lower-level operating system and device functions.”

These changes and others will enhance the iPhone’s usage in business environments, but a lot of the above is just speculation. We’ll have to wait and see exactly what Apple dishes out in the near future. But it seems obvious that this is a lucrative market that Apple wants to crack.