iPhone Appeals to Businesses with Support for Exchange

Apple has added new features to the iPhone that are intended to make it more attractive to business users who need integration with their companies' e-mail systems.At an event at Apple HQ in Cupertino, CA, the company announced that it had licensed Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol, which will enable the iPhone to work with Microsoft Exchange e-mail servers. In addition, the iPhone will get virtual private network (VPN) capabilities, which will enable access to private business networks. And network administrators will be able to remotely delete potentially sensitive data from lost or stolen iPhones. "This is exactly what businesses have been waiting for," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.

AT&T, the iPhone's carrier, should appreciate the added appeal to business users as well, because businesses are more likely than individual consumers to spring for higher-priced data and phone plans and sign up for longer contracts.

Apple also released a Software Development Kit that will enable developers to make more software for the iPhone.ChannelWeb, CNN Money