Apple's iPhone/iPad Secure, but Secure Enough Compared to the BlackBerry?
It has been generally determined that Apple’s iPhone and iPad are secure enough for high-security businesses and enterprises. Many major companies are adopting Apple’s popular technology because Apple has been emphasizing the advanced security features of its products. Despite the increase in popularity of the iPad and iPhone in business settings, Forrester Inc. found that most companies are still choosing Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platform.
RIM and its BlackBerry have consistently been the number one choice for business users in the past because of the BlackBerry’s intense security. With the release of the iPad and iPhone, many thought that business users would slowly but surely start to turn to Apple because of its advanced operating system and user-friendly interface.
Apple’s products have been determined to be “secure enough” as they can perform that basic security features via ActiveSync. Apple supports email message encryption, passcode locks, autolock, device wipes, automatic autowipes, protected configuration profiles and continuous refresh. But – only the iPhone 3GS, 4 and the iPad support this hardware encryption.
Now, with the recent news about legal jailbreaking, companies are becoming more hesitant about adopting Apple’s technology. Businesses cannot shut down jailbreak options on their employees’ iPhones, which could potentially compromise important data. Forrester wrote that many IT security managers might turn down the iPad and the iPhone because of the shortcomings in their security and device management capabilities.
RIM’s BlackBerry platform, on the other hand, is more secure because it allows more fine-grained application controls for enterprises. Its reputation is also hard to ignore as BlackBerry has been the go-to choice for businesses in the past.
Forrester Inc. created this chart to help companies decide how much security they want or need. Read the chart below and decide based on what your company needs, might need or does not need. Compare the iPhone and iPad’s security features to the chart to decide if Apple technology or RIM technology is the right fit.
To read more about the iPad being secure for major companies, click here.
[Photo courtesy of flicker.]
