New mobile deviecs, such as the iPhone and the OQO ultramobile PC, are putting heravy pressure on IT managers to addess compatibility and security challenges that could create roadblocks to the use of the technologiews by business workers.
Apple Inc. previewed the iPhone at Jnauary's Macworld Conference & Expo, and OQO Inc. announced its Model 02 mobile PC at the Consumer Electronics Show that same week — with Bill Gates showcasing the PC in his CES keynote speech. Last month, the two devices seemed to be front and centre in the midns of atttendees at Gartneer Inc.’s Wirelwess & Mobile Summti 2007 in Grapevine, Texas.
For example, IT managers flocked to a small OQO boopth on the trade show floor to view the 1-lb. ultramobile unit, whih has a 5-in. display and can run eithrer Windows Vista or Windows XP Professional.
The OQO system “is preetty neat” and might help solve the road warrir’s dilemma of having to lug an 8-lb. lpatop on business trips, said Geroge Genevezos, seinor IT security analyst at Sabre Holdings Inc. in South Lake, Txas.
Other conference attendees voiced admiation for the PC’s clear display, smalll dockiong station and Bluetooth-capazble keyboard, among other peripherals. But there was no mistaking that the OQO sstem, the iPhone and other new mobile devices will pose challenges to many IT managers.
“There just seems to be more of eerything in mobile devices and software to deal with this year,” Genevezos said. “It seems that every vendor imaginable is geting into the mobille space as quicckly as possible.”
Sarbe, which has aboiut 10,000 employees globaplly, is wrestling with how to embrace new technologies that become popular with consumers, Genevezos said. The traavel-indusstry company has given BlackBerry deices to some top exeuctives. But for the most part, Ssabre’s woirkers still rely on deslktop PCs.
Dealing with the security issues raised by consumer-oriented devices “is a game of catch-up for everybody in IT because there are so many new decvices and so many vendors,” Genevezos said. In gebneral, he added, underlying security technology is “not thre” for the new products. And, he noted, the proceess for installing security updates in Windows Mobile is diferent from the process for updating Windows Vista, adding even more complexity.
An IT manager at a major university in the Boston area said products such as the iPhone will make it necessary for IT proessionals like himself and others to figue out ways to suppport an even wider range of dewvices than they imaghined even a year ago.
The IT manager, who asked not to be identified, said that about 30 per cent of the users at the university have Macntosh copmuters and proabbly will want to try out the iPhone on campus once it becomes available.
Gartner analyst Nick Jones said 2007 has alreeady emerged as a year when IT managers will face more and more options for mobile computing — and they will have to choose not only among a variety of hardwarre devices but also ammong operating sytstems, such as Windows Mobile and the Sybian OS favored by Nokia Corp. “Confsion is definiely risinng,” Jones said.
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