Caution: IOS 5, ICloud and the IPhone 4S in the Enterprise
Apple's iOS 5 and the new iPhone 4S, which went on sale Friday, are packed with new features, many of which should boost the productivity and on-the-road capabilities of professional users. But, as with many consumer-oriented mobile platforms making their way into the workplace, iOS 5 and Apple's new iCloud service present some serious challenges in business environments.
Thu, October 20, 2011
Computerworld — Apple's iOS 5 and the new iPhone 4S, which went on sale Friday, are packed with new features, many of which should boost the productivity and on-the-road capabilities of professional users. But, as with many consumer-oriented mobile platforms making their way into the workplace, iOS 5 and Apple's new iCloud service present some serious challenges in business environments.
Security issues involving iCloud and several other features will likely be the first things IT professionals weigh when it comes to iOS 5, which Apple rolled out last week. That's good, because even though Apple quietly provided some new enterprise features in iOS 5 that should make iPhones and iPads better corporate citizens, new concerns have emerged.
What to worry about
Out of the 200-plus new features in iOS 5, there are really just three that pose new security challenges: iCloud syncing and backup, location-based services like the new Find My Friends app, and the Siri virtual assistant in the iPhone 4S.
iCloud -- too much sharing?
Apple's iCloud is a unique brand of cloud services that's geared more toward personal use than professional. It allows users to sync all their personal data -- contacts, calendars, emails, notes, iTunes media, photos, documents and so on -- across all their iOS devices and Macs (and to some extent Windows PCs). Users can also back up their iOS device data wirelessly to Apple's iCloud storage or to their Mac or Windows computer using iTunes.
This is a rich set of features for consumers, as it ensures easy access to virtually all data that's supported by Apple's iOS 5 as well as the security of having a backup of core iOS information that can be restored anytime, anywhere.
While that ease of access is great for end users, it raises serious questions for iOS devices used for work, be those devices company-owned or, as is increasingly the case, employee-owned. Given that the service debuted only last week -- and had a problematic rollout at that -- there are now more questions than answers. If iPhone users in the workplace start asking about using iCloud, ask yourself these questions:
Will confidential corporate data such as documents, global contacts and emails be synced to a user's home computer? Might they reside on Apple's iCloud servers after a user has left a company? What if someone gains access to a user's iCloud account by stealing a device or through a phishing or social engineering attack? Could photos taken with an iOS device in the office be pushed across a range on devices and computers by iCloud's Photo Stream feature?
