If in the end, the sales of the iPhone 5grow at the rate that analysts expect, something that seems to be fulfilled, the impact on companies could be, according to experts “dramatic”. And it is that when making this statement it is necessary to take into account that the BYOD concept (build your own device) and the impact that it is having on companies.
If we continue with the opinion of analysts, the companies that use the iPhone 5 (which is marketed with a 4G LTE connection) will increase security threats. But this will not be the only drawback. Analysts also point to the increase in data bills as another problem to take into account.
But not all analysts believe that the iPhone 5 it is detrimental to professional environments. In this sense, some CTOs point out that the iPhone 5 it will be “manageable” both in terms of safety and cost. What’s more, in some cases it is considered that the iPhone 5 may even help increase worker productivity.
“Business is in real time and workers want things to be done quickly. The LTE connection capacity of the iPhone 5 will provide real-time capabilities. The future is mobile, and we are constantly looking for any desktop application to bring it to the mobile world ”, said Oliver Bussmann, CIO of Sap.
What’s more, in Bussmann’s words, Sap “supports” more than 60,000 workers globally and manages more than 40,000 smartphones and tablets. About 13,000 of the smartphones are iPhones. Like many large companies, Sap negotiates flat rates with operators.
The same opinion is shown by Greg Fell, CIO of Terex. His company manages 1,000 smartphone users, both iPhones and Android, within its BYOD strategy. “The iPhone 5 is not going to change the way we think. We are going to continue buying them ”.
Alex Yoyn, assistant to the director of technology of the University of West Virginia, has assured that some of the 30,000 university students have expressed interest in acquiring an iPhone 5. However, the Morgantown campus, in West Virginia, does not have LTE , thus reducing the attractiveness of smartphones.
However, while some CIOs are unconcerned about the impact that the iPhone 5 may have on their business, analysts are cautious that they can cause problems for their businesses. For example, Rob Enderle, an analyst at the Enderle Group, said that the ease of sharing photos with the new device could lead to product images coming out sooner than the company wanted.
