Businesses hoping to get their hands on Apple’s new iOS 7 mobile operating system shouldn’t have to wait much longer.
iOS 7 is now in beta testing and should be released to the general public in early fall.
Apple is already meeting with potential business customers to promote the system, its new design, and what they say are new features. Apple claims it is the most significant system update since the original iPhone.
From a business standpoint, Apple is trying to stay one step ahead of the field and prevent customers from jumping over other competitors.
One way they hope to protect their territory is by using new system apps. These offer more advanced ways for IT to monitor device deployment within the organization, while also providing a better user experience for employees 188Bet.
This will allow businesses to have greater control over which applications and accounts are used to open business-related documents and attachments. It will also help protect corporate data by keeping business documents limited to corporate applications.
By using iOS 7, businesses will be able to better support their virtual private network. Businesses can configure their applications to automatically connect to the VPN upon startup. Business data can be separated from personal browsing data through the corporate network. This should be important for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) employees working from home or in remote locations.
A big improvement for employees will be the authentication required for corporate applications. This can be done with a single login. This will allow employee credentials to be used in all applications, including downloads to the App Store.
There’s even a new Volume Purchase Program on the App Store that allows businesses to assign apps to users. Corporations will be able to maintain full ownership and control of these licenses.
To address the content download speed issue, iOS 7 is designed to speed things up. Catching Server 2 for OS X Mavericks Server will be compatible with iOS 7. The download and delivery of any content from the App Store, Mac App Store, etc. promises to be faster.
The new system addresses the problems associated with managing dozens, if not hundreds, of mobile devices. A new MDM protocol streamlines third-party MDM solutions.
Company-owned devices can be automatically enrolled in an MDM solution where many of the custom commands, fonts, and wirelessly configured managed applications can be automated.
All third-party applications will also be enhanced with a “data protection mode” enabled. The data stored in those apps will be protected with a user’s passcode to create what Apple says provides a stronger and unique encryption key.
Apple notes that its built-in mail app has also been improved. It will offer the availability to add and rearrange smart mailboxes within the mailbox list, thanks to a search that has been redesigned.
Users will have the ability to view PDF annotations and those with Microsoft Exchange 2010 will be able to sync with notes.
Additional enhancements include a Notification Center with a new “Today” feature to give you a summary of your day, including weather, traffic, and meetings. There are new female and male voices to make Siri sound better with additional assistant support for Twitter, Wikipedia, and Bing. The night mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when used in the dark will help with directions. And a redesigned Safari search app will let you see more content with a full-screen browsing mode.
Overall, iOS 7 represents a good step forward for companies using Apple apps. If it works as advertised, it will help protect corporate data and solve some of the problems associated with the BYOD workplace. Those who use Macs, iPads, and iPhones at work will find iOS 7 a valuable update to help improve the productivity of their own business with IITSWEB.
