Apple iPhone 4.0: Suited up and ready for business

While the availability of multitasking for the iPhone is exciting, under-the-hood enhancements in iPhone 4.0, announced yesterday, will make the device more manageable and secure as a business tool.

Apple gave IT managers a toolbox for securing confidential information on iPhones, particularly making sure that, when the devices get lost or stolen, the information on those devices is safe. And Apple also enabled tools for managing large numbers of iPhones, and doing it wirelessly.

Apple lays out iPhone 4.0 enterprise features on its Web site.

New data protection tools are designed to protect email and attachments using the device passcode as an encryption key, Apple says. The company is providing APIs to allow third-party developer to use the data protection tools in custom and commercial apps.

IT managers will be able to wireless configure and update device settings, monitor compliance with corporate policies, and wipe or lock managed iPhones, Apple says.

Upcoming apps from Juniper and Cisco will support SSL VPN on the iPhone, Apple says.

The manner in which the iPhone implements multitasking enhances security. Full-on multitasking allows programs to be fully functional while running in the background. That's how it's done on PCs and Macs, and it''s also how malware exploits systems, because malware runs undetected in the background when installed.

However, on the iPhone, apps are limited to a narrow range of things they can do while running in the background, such as playing audio, finishing tasks that started in the foreground, and running VoIP calls. The limited capability makes for a less flexible system, but amore secure and stable one.

Other 4.0 features of interest to iPhone business users: IT managers will be able to wirelessly distribute apps over Wi-Fi and 3G, and update apps without requiring users to connect iPhones to their computers, Apple says.

iPhone 4.0 removes a previous limitation on Exchange ActiveSync, allowing devices to support multiple accounts. And iPhone 4.0 adds support for Exchange 2010.

Also in the email app, users will be able to open attachments using third-party apps, Apple says.

And speaking of using Apple devices for business (was that an awkward transition? I believe it was. Go with it): I'm writing and filing this blog post using the iPad. This is not a stunt; it's a test and it's practice. I'm planning a business trip soon, I don't currently have a notebook computer, and I'd like to avoid buying one. If I can use the iPad instead, I can put a couple of grand in my pocket. Or hold off on buying a notebook until Apple upgrades its MacBooks.

Which reminds me: Apple is rumored to be upgrading MacBooks on Tuesday. We've heard this rumor before in the past couple of months, I'm not writing any dates in pen on my calendar.