When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at the beginning of 2007, I, and other business communication analysts, quickly criticized its lack of capabilities for business use. Just think what Blackberry did for “push” email, Apple’s iPhone introduction was the beginning movement toward end user demand for UC in the enterprise market. iPhone was designed to attract the consumer first, with its innovative interface design and iPod entertainment features, and Jobs counted on consumer demand to translate into a business market.

On Thursday, March 6, Apple announced SDK capabilities (software development kits) iPhone Enterprise Beta Program allowing IT professionals to seamlessly integrate iPhone into their enterprise environments. The door for business end user demand has been opened further to push enterprise organizations into the brave new world of UC faster than all the debates about ROI and business process integrations within the industry. It is not just Apple’s iPhone, which is creating this shift, but other “smart phone” developers as well

With the software announcement, Apple controls the distributions and uses an electronic-signature method, but allows more types of business applications managed using Microsoft’s Exchange Active Sync software, which can synchronize with a PC for e-mail, calendar and contact info. This use of MS Exchange recognizes the importance of “push” email for mobile business users that RIM (Research in Motion) has long dominated. Soon UC will see software development and beta releases for Virtual Private Network connections, allowing for encrypted access to workplace networks. As a cnet.com poll suggests, approximately 80% of the respondents will now use their iPhone’s for work. 

The personalized, multimodal mobile communication device is a key requirement for business UC, and a unit that is flexible and secure for both business and personal contacts, will be the most important “face” of UC in the “virtual” enterprise. Does this spell the end to desktop, no but it does say that enterprise organizations will have to accommodate both kinds of interfaces in a consistent way. 

Do you agree?