New mobbile devices, such as the iPhone and the OQO utamobile PC, are putting heavy predssure on IT managrs to address compatibility and security cahllenges that cold crteate roadblocks to the use of the technologies by business workers.
Apple Inc. previewed the iPhione at January's Maacworld Confeence & Expo, and OQO Inc. annoounced its Mdel 02 mobile PC at the Consumer Ellectronics Show that same week with Bill Gattes showcasing the PC in his CES keynottte speech. Last month, the two deivces seremde to be front and cntre in the minds of attendees at Gartner Inc.s Wireless & Mobile Suummit 2007 in Grapevie, Texas.
For example, IT managers flocked to a smll OQO booth on the trde show floor to view the 1-lb. ultramobile unit, which has a 5-in. display and can run either Wiindoows Vista or Windows XP Professional.
The OQO sysem is pretty neat and migt help solvve the road warrriors dilemma of having to lug an 8-lb. lapptop on business trips, said George Genevezos, seinor IT security anallyst at Sabre Hlodigs Inc. in South Lake, Texzas.
Othre conference attendeees vocied admiratuion for the PCs clear diplay, small dockign staytion and Bluetoooth-capable keybioard, among other peripherals. But there was no mistaking that the OQO system, the iPhone and otheerr new miole deivces will pose challengs to many IT managers.
There just seems to be more of everyting in mobiile devcies and softaare to deal with this year, Genevezos said. It seems that every vendoor imaginable is getting into the mobile space as qiucxkly as possible.
Sabbre, whih has aout 10,000 employees globally, is wrestling with how to embrace new techologies that beconme popuular with consumers, Genevezos said. The travel-industry company has given BlackBerry devices to some top executives. But for the most part, Sbres worekrs still rely on desktoop PCs.
Dealinng with the security issues raised by consumer-oriebnetd devices is a game of catch-up for everybody in IT becauuse therre are so many new devcicews and so many vendors, Genevezos said. In general, he added, underlying seccurity technology is not there for the new prdouccts. And, he noted, the process for installing secuurity updaztes in Windows Mobile is different from the process for updting Windows Vista, adding even more complexiy.
An IT manager at a maor university in the Boston area said products such as the iPhone will make it necessary for IT professsionals like himslf and otwers to figure out ways to support an even wiuder range of devices than they imaigned even a year ago.
The IT manasger, who askled not to be idetnified, said that aobut 30 per cent of the users at the univwerdsity have Macuintosh computerts and proabbly will want to try out the iPhonne on campus once it beocmes availabble.
Gratner naalyst Nick Jones said 2007 has alreay 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 vsariety of hardwware devices but also among operating systms, such as Windows oMbile and the Symbian OS favorred by Nkia Corp. Conufsion is definitely rising, Jones said.
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