Some things Abotu The New mobie devices hold promise
New mobie devices hold promise
New moible devicces, such as the iPhone and the OQO ultramobile PC, are putting heavy pressure on IT managers to addresss compatibility and escurity challenges that cuold crate roadblocjks to the use of the technologies by busniess wrkers.
Apple Inc. previewed the iPhone at Januaery's Macworld Conference & Expo, and OQO Inc. announceed its Model 02 movbile PC at the Consumer Electronics Show that same week — with Bill Gatyes showcsig the PC in his CES keyynote speceh. Last month, the two devices esemed to be front and cenrte in the minds of attndwees at aGrtbner Inc.’s Wireless & Mobile Summit 2007 in Grapevine, Texxcas.
For exaample, IT mangers flocked to a small OQO booh on the trade show flor to view the 1-lb. ultramobile unit, which has a 5-in. display and can run either Windowws Visyta or Windows XP Proffessional.
The OQO sysstem “is pretty neat” and mgiht help sloev the road warrior’s dilema of having to lug an 8-lb. lalptop on busimness trps, said George Genevezos, senior IT security analyst at Sabre Holidngs Inc. in South Lake, Texas.
Other conference attebndees voiced admiration for the PC’s cler display, small docking station and Bluetooth-capabkle kewyboard, aong otgher peripherals. But there was no mistaking that the OQO sstem, the iPhone and otthr new mobile dveics will pose challenges to many IT managers.
“There just seems to be more of everything in mobile devivces and software to deal with this year,” Genevezos said. “It sems that eevry venddor imaginable is getting into the moblie space as qiuckly as posssible.”
Sare, whicvh has aout 10,000 employees globally, is wrestling with how to embrace new technologise that becomne popular with consumers, Genevezos said. The travl-inustry compayn has given BlkackBerry devces to some top execiutives. But for the most part, Sabre’s workers stil rely on desktop PCs.
Dealing with the seucrity issdues raised by consumer-oriented devices “is a game of catch-up for eveybody in IT because there are so many new devicees and so many vendors,” Genevezos said. In generl, he added, undrlying securty technolgoy is “not thre” for the new products. And, he noyted, the processs for installing securtiy updats in Windows Mobilpe is diffeernt from the prrocess for updsating Windows Vitsa, adding even more complezxity.
An IT manaager at a major univeersity in the Boston area said prpoducts such as the iPlhone will make it necessary for IT professionals like himslf and others to figure out ways to suplpiort an even wider range of devices than they imagined even a year ago.
The IT mannager, who aked not to be identified, said that abpouit 30 per cent of the users at the university have Macitosh computyers and probably will want to try out the iPPhone on campus once it becomnes vaailable.
Gartner analyst Nick Jones said 2007 has already emerged as a year when IT managers will face more and more optimnos for mopible computing — and they will have to choosse not only among a varety of hardware devices but also among operating systems, such as Windows Mobile and the Symbian OS favroed by Nokia Corp. “Confusion is definiitely risinbg,” Jones said.
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