Windows Phone 7 Has Enterprise Appeal

While the new UI of Windows Phone 7 is reminiscent of the consumer focused Zune, Microsoft confirmed that new OS still has a focus on Enterprise users. Microsoft is looking to find appeal amongst users who might not find necessary business features in either Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android. RIM’s BlackBerry is enterprise worthy, but the OS is in desperate need of an update. It’s wise for Microsoft to see an opportunity to fill this niche and it’s in keeping with their target market.

“90% of our target customers for Windows Phone use their Smartphone for business purposes and 61% use their phones equally or more for business than personal use.This is why we designed Windows Phone 7 to combine a smart new user interface with familiar tools such as PowerPoint, OneNote, Word, Excel and SharePoint into a single integrated experience via the Office hub.”

While the lines continue to blur, meeting the requirements of those 90% is critical to the success of Windows Phone 7. Microsoft assures us that with Windows Phone 7, they have built-in IT support without the need for additonal infrastructure.

Is built from the ground up using industry best practices in secure software development (Secure Development Lifecycle).

Deeply Integrates email, calendar and contacts with Exchange Server enabling rich, seamless email and calendar management to enhance productivity.

Integrates with SharePoint through the SharePoint Workspace client, enabling enhanced collaboration through offline document access and syncing.

Helps protect corporate information by securing the device through PINs and passwords. Information is further protected by not allowing access to data via PC tethering or support for removable SD cards. In addition, Windows Phone 7 supports IT managed EAS policies such asRequire Password, Password Strength, Remote Wipe and Reset to Factory Settings with multiple failed unlock attempts.

Helps ensure data reliability and integrity through application sandboxing and managed code.Windows Phone 7 ensures communications channels between applications cannot be opened and critical system resources cannot be accessed. Most malware threats are introduced through the browser. IE Mobile helps ensure that malicious code cannot be launched from web sites, thus reducing this threat.

Provides certification and verification of applications and content through Windows Phone Marketplace, further enhancing security.

Enables secure data transmission through 128 or 256 Bit SSL Encryption.

Supports secure access to on-premise applications and network resources using Forefront Universal Access Gateway (UAG).

Is future ready with cloud / services integration. Through the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), Microsoft offers hosted Exchange and SharePoint services. Windows Phone 7 will support mobile access to BPOS from Outlook Mobile and the Office Hub.