AppleInsider Staff
A new section added to Apple's website promotes its upcoming iOS 7 mobile operating system to business customers, touting new features such as enhanced security, and new ways to configure and deploy devices at scale.
With iOS 7, the new site touts, businesses will be able to control which applications and accounts are used to open documents and attachments. This will help companies to protect corporate data by keeping work documents limited to corporate applications.
Virtual private network support can also be enabled on an app-by-app basis. With iOS 7, companies will be able to configure apps to automatically connect to VPN when they are launched.
Employees will also be able to authenticate into corporate apps with a single sign on, allowing credentials to be used across apps, including downloads from the App Store. And a new App Store Volume Purchase Program will allow businesses to assign apps to users while maintaining full ownership and control over the associated licenses.
For downloading and installing applications and content, Catching Server 2 for OS X Mavericks Server also supports iOS 7. This will allow businesses to speed up the download and delivery of content from the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore.
Mobile Device Management has been enhanced in iOS 7, giving businesses new configuration options such as wirelessly configuring managed applications, installing custom fonts, configuring accessibility options and AirPrint-compatible printers, and even approving specific AirPlay devices for use. Enrollment in MDM has also been streamlines, and can be configured during activation of a handset.
iOS 7 will also improve third-party data protection in applications, leveraging a user's passcode to create what Apple claims is a "strong and unique encryption key."
Finally, Apple also noted that its built-in Mail application has been enhanced with the ability to add and reorganize smart mailboxes within the mailbox list, and with a redesigned search. The new Mail in iOS 7 also gives the ability to view PDF annotations, and gives Microsoft Exchange 2010 users the ability to sync notes.
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Charles Martin
Marko Zivkovic
28 Comments
Apple needs to step it up in the enterprise to fend off Android and Blackberry. It's good to see Apple including these features
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Android has little to no traction in the enterprise. It's been Blackberry and iPhone for years now, with Blackberry getting the heave-ho.
Pretty much. But it's still cool to see them hit this market hard. It makes it tough for another company to come in and say "iPhones are for play, we're for serious business"
Apple needs to double-down in the enterprise. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing how Apple has no future growth prospects while every other tech company does. Doesn't anyone notice that Apple's P/E ratio is sitting solidly in the nines and slipping faster by the day. Apple's shareholder value is vanishing into thin air while Google's is flying ever higher. Tim Cook better find a way to increase his own pay now that it's tied to Apple's stock performance, even if he doesn't care about shareholders. How can a company be so clueless about increasing its own value while sitting on a growing mountain of cash?
Android is not well adapted to the enterprise. Exchange Mail support stinks and there is little control tools available. Apple is surprising me with these enterprise friendly tools. Hope they transition some of these over to the Mac side. I would love some reliable AD binding, SSO, and Group policy integration.