Can the iPhone handle Exchange e-mail?

Overall , the new $ 600 iPhone is likely a major progress in the state - of - the - art of twenty-first century gadgetry . But in one glare area — einsteinium - ring mail — Apple ’s young smartphone appears downright retro .

While the iPhone will competentlyhandlepopular consumer e - chain armour avail such as Google ’s Gmail or Yahoo ’s Yahoo ! Mail , its power to work with corporate e - mail systems , as of now , is no good than mediocre .

That ’s because neither Apple nor AT&T , the exclusive iPhone carrier in the United States , had , as of Thursday , confirmed whether the iPhone will be using third - party synchronization technology .

These technologies permit user to code their e - mails for secure infection and update their contact , calendar and tasks wirelessly rather than the next time when they physically link up with their microcomputer .

The best known let in Microsoft’sActiveSync , which associate with Microsoft ’s popular Exchange e - ring mail waiter software program ; Motorola subsidiary Good Technology’sMobile Messaging , which permit twist standardised over - the - air connectivity with Lotus Notes / Domino and Exchange servers ; or even Research in Motion’sBlackBerry Connect , the trademark e - mail ‘ push ’ engineering science that made its BlackBerrys so popular and which the Canadian company is now license to other vendors .

From an IT management perspective , these products allow IT administrators to remotely finagle these twist .

That can avail an IT manager “ when he cause a 2 a.m. call from the CEO complaining his Es - mail is down , ” said Keith McCall , CTO at e - mail service providerAzaleos . Or it can let an IT manager wipe all of the data from a smartphone if it is lost .

“ For a collective IT handler , this is not a ‘ prissy - to - have ’ but a ‘ must - have , ’ ” say Ravi Agarwal , CEO of Exchange hosting supplier GroupSpark . ActiveSync , which is used by more than 200 smartphones from vendors including Motorola , Nokia , Treo maker Palm , Sony Ericsson , Symbian and others , might be the most likely wager .

ZDNet ’s Mary Jo Foley , adduce anon. seed , reportedearlier this workweek that Apple is on the wand of licensing the ActiveSync technology from Microsoft .

Through a spokeswoman , Microsoft said Wednesday that it go down to “ notice on rumor . ”

Necessary or just courteous ?

Since the iPhone is place at consumer , does the iPhone really need corporate - level sync capabilities ?

Without ActiveSync or an equivalent , iPhone user will still in most cases be able to check their Exchange atomic number 99 - mail using the Safari vane web browser and going to their company ’s Outlook Web Access page .

Or they can use Mac Mail or Microsoft ’s cortege to link up to Exchange or Notes / Domino e - postal service host using the popular POP3 or IMAP protocols .

But expert say IMAP and POP3 replication is less secure than ActiveSync and the like , because IT administrator often have to open up a port in their meshwork firewall to get off and receive e - chain mail .

Moreover , IMAP and POP3 are in general slower than more advanced technology . That will be worsen when iPhoners are outside of Wi - Fi kitchen stove and have to use AT&T ’s slowishEDGEdata electronic connection to get their east - mail .

For that and other understanding , many drug user may forward their corporate e - mail to an international consumer web - based service , compromising subject matter security department , according to Ken Dulaney , an analyst with Gartner , who issued a story on Wednesday urging IT organizations to refuse to back the iPhone for now .

That parameter fall apart even more when you reckon that even smartphones aimed at teen , such asT - Mobile ’s SidekickandHelio ’s Ocean , all tout ActiveSync capability .

And with its $ 600 pricetag and 2 - class plans that begin at $ 59.99 a month , the iPhone may end up being bought mostly by adults , and well - off ones like managers and bosses , at that .

“ Traditionally , mobile gadget have been adopted from the top - down , ” McCall say . “ If the chief executive officer says he wants an iPhone , then the IT administrator is ordinarily forced to admit that postulation . ”

Both McCall and Agarwal look Apple to foretell that it has license a third - company sync technology — later if not sooner .

In the meantime , what ’s an IT manager to do ? Dulaney urges IT administrator to be stingy about grant iPhone funding , which he says should be traded for funding to take IT staffers on the iPhone .

Another alternative , provided that Apple fails to license or improve the iPhone ’s sync potentiality , is synchroneity software from Redwood City , Calif.-based Visto . On Thursday , the caller say it willreleasesoftware in the third quarter that will appropriate the iPhone to firmly connect with Exchange and Lotus Domino servers .

The Visto computer software will use SSL encryption to protect e - chain armour as they are ‘ pushed ’ out to the iPhone . Visto is based on the IMAP protocol , which is why it does not call for Apple to license the technology , too , grant to a spokeswoman .

Using Visto will not require IT manager to open up any port wine in their firewall and compromise their security , she say . However , Visto does not offer any outside management feature such as killing lost gadget , nor does it synchronize calendar , contacts or task data between server and iPhone .