How Your Company Can Prepare for Upcoming iOS 8 Business Features
IOS 8 will be hitting Apple mobile devices in Fall 2014. Developers have been working with beta versions of this operating system, which includes over 4,000 APIs, to create utilities that will reshape the way we do business. This won’t be an incremental step up for most iPhone and iPad users – iOS 8 is chock full of features unseen on Apple devices before. Some of the most attention grabbing features for business users include increased security protocols, mobile device management (MDM) configuration, peer-to-peer Airplay, and the ability to switch between computers and mobile devices for tasks and phone calls. So how can your company get ready for the upcoming iOS 8 release? Gather your IT departments and start addressing the following points.
Compatibility Testing
Analyze your company’s mobile workflow and identify the apps that you continually rely on for operations. Since Apple’s iOS 8 contains a multitude of new features, such as customizable app extensions for photo editing, sharing, and document access, it’s likely that some app developers won’t be immediately ready with their own updates after the iOS 8 launch. The first few weeks and months after the iOS launch might be rocky, as app developers rush to keep up with demand, work out bugs, and new functionality.
Keep an eye out on app version updates through the App Store and on developer webpages to see how they will be incorporating new iOS 8 capabilities into their apps. Before deploying iOS and app updates across your company devices, test out your workflow on a few isolated iPhones and iPads. This will help you discover how compatible iOS 8 system updates and individual app are with your current workflow.
Discuss App Permissions
IT departments and app developers will have increased control over the types of documents users can open in specific apps. This is great news for companies, since it prevents data from leaking outside of your workflow. The new App Extension Programming Guide describes the Document Provider extension, which allows developers to “provide access to and manage a repository of files.” These features, combined with per app VPN and open-in policies managed by your IT department can ensure that your company’s sensitive data stays safe.
Assess Your Inventory
Before the iOS 8 release, it will be important to create on a deployment strategy. Work with your IT department to discover how many devices need to be managed, learn how many models are compatible with the iOS 8 update, discuss app licensing, and iron out permissions. If you’ve already enrolled your devices in an MDM program, your IT department should be able to easily collect information about each device’s serial number iOS version, and installed company apps. Having a clear grasp of your mobile device inventory can help you estimate the timeframe, scope, and size of the upcoming iOS update and your subsequent MDM configurations.
The upcoming launch of iOS 8 will usher in a number of workflow and security changes for SMB and enterprise organizations. Your business can get a head start now by examining app compatibility, permissions, and your deployment strategy. Keep an eye out on Apple’s official website to learn about further updates for iOS and business.
