Back in July Apple released a handful of tools for enterprises looking to deploy iPhones to their organization. One of the tools released was the Web Configuration Utility for Windows and Mac OS. This allows enterprises to easily create, sign and distribute configuration profiles using a web browser.
Now, Apple has released another tool to extend the functionality, allowing enterprises to access logs and install apps on iPhones as well as configure them.
iPhone Configuration Utility 1.0 for Mac OS X
The iPhone Configuration Utility is available exclusively for enterprises running Mac OS X. Enterprises can use any of the three tools to create a configuration file and email or post the file to a web site. The file is in XML format and can be installed onto the company’s iPhones with the following settings pre-configured:
- Device security policies
- VPN configuration information
- Wi-Fi settings, APN settings
- Exchange account settings
- Mail settings
- Certificates that permit iPhone and iPod touch devices to work with your enterprise systems
The difference between the tools is that the iPhone Configuration Web Utilities allow enterprises to create config files while the iPhone Configuration Utility for Max OS X allows enterprises to also access logs and install apps on iPhones.
Breaking Ground in the Enterprise Market
Unfortunately, Apple is choosing to limit their reach within enterprises by only allowing the Configuration Utility to work on enterprises running Mac OS X. There is a relatively small number of enterprises running their OS when compared with those running Windows operating systems. However, we’re hopeful that Apple will soon release the same functionality for enterprises running Windows. All of these tools are available for free in the Enterprise Support section of the Apple’s website. For more information on integrating iPhones within your enterprise, we recommend checking out the Enterprise Deployment Guide (Third Edition)(PDF).
