OK, here is an article I am working on as a response to a Ziff Davis article I read a few days ago, about Macs, IT (IS) the iPhone, etc.
It in detail breaks down my first hand perspective of Macs, IT, iPhone and Exchange, it is long, but very thorough, I also predict some solution forth coming. This could be that solution.
There is so much information coming out on this, I felt compelled to thoroughly break it down for the average Mac / iPhone user.
I am going to post this on my blog, at
www.macintoshmusic.com, any suggestions for getting that blogged article linked to say macrumors or macsurfer, etc. Thanks.
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Apple, the iPhone, the nature of IT, (I mean IS), and the Revolution
It is really IS - Information Services, not IT - Inhibitors of Technology
Many of the these departments see themselves as something other than technology customer service, (which is in reality the essence of what they are), a service that should listen and deliver to the customer, exactly what they want, if not these same IT people should be out of jobs, its that simple.
We just moved to an All in house IS (Information Services) model, the emphasis on Information Service, and our director of infrastructure, has to be the most fair, balanced person and technology director I have ever met.
He has no bias or agenda against Apple or the Mac, but he I would say he is rare. In all my IT experience, many IT people make it very clear that they indeed have a bias / agenda on anything other that Microsoft, (and especially the Mac), as was stated in your article about the gentlemen who said, "he would quit first, rather than allow the Mac in his environment".
This says it all.
First, it's not "his" environment, it's the customers, the users environment. Information Services exist to serve and protect, serve and protect the user and company (data, finances, laws, regulations, compliance, security, etc).
Second, this IT industry (unbeknownst to themselves) has always been a service industry, not a bully pulpit, where IT feels they are the Big Brother / FBI agents of the company.
Let's face it, this same bully pulpit philosophy has practically defined corporate IT in the past, it is its stigma, IMO anyway. I have personally observed, that this type of attitude, philosophy and model is becoming more and more obsolete every day.
As was also stated in your article and totally spot on as I see this everyday, users are smart and getting smarter, they no loner need or require "IT" to to tell them which technology to use, they know what they want, and they go get it, and Apple, Macs and the iPhone are a huge part of that. Our directors stance is that people can use whatever tool (computer) device they choose. There is a recognition, an acceptance of Apple, the Mac, Mac OS X, in general advancing and cutting edge technologies. At our facility, users can pick from a standard configuration and Macs are on that list. Users are going to pick the computer platform of their choice, typically if they have been using a Mac for their work, they will select a Mac, and same for a Windows PC.
As long as the computer meets the hospitals IS compliance and security standards, all Mac and Windows must be at the latest OS. Macs, 10.4.10, Windows, XP SP2 and latest updates. All Macs and Windows machines must have virus software and updates (McAfee). There are policies in place concerning personal machines used for work for (typically Macs and Windows laptops) the same policies stated above apply and we have limited support and the user must allow IS to have an admin account on that machine (remote access), all to better serve the customer.
This anti-Mac thing in IT, in my opinion, is such an old argument that holds very little if any validity. It is purely an "emotional" bias that some IT managers have been searching long and hard to find reasons to keep Macs out, but it's not working. The emperor has no clothes.
This same attitude is being applied to the iPhone. But as we know, the iPhone is being marketed as a consumer device, the user (yes this same user that IT will come in contact with) is the reason you have a job, and if they speak, (and especially if the CEO, COO, or any VP speaks) and wants an iPhone, it will happen, in any event that is how the Blackberry infiltrated IT in the first place.
In fact here is a news-flash: People use Macs in corporate environments all the time. IT is free to say of course, "we don't (allow) or support the Mac", and be expected to cite reasons for this.
Of course exactly what does this "support" really mean. Let's look at that next.
No Technology, Security or other damn reason Macs can not be inclusive and equal citizens in any MS Exchange / AD environment
Is it,
1) IT saying you cannot put that Mac on "our" network at all, just because, well that is just plain stupid and those people's jobs / rationale should be scrutinized.
2) IT saying you can put that Mac on "our" network with certain minimum standards / protections, this of course makes sense and is valid.
I have been supporting Macs and Mac OS X in MS AD/Exchange environments for years, is it possible, of course it is.
Does Apple or MS make it easy, No.
While Apple does have their AD plugin, it is not extensive, so one may have to turn to such tools as Centrify's Direct Control which look to be a great solution, providing actual SMS and Group Policies to Mac clients, etc.
Here's my observation of Apple in the enterprise / MS, etc. Apple really couldn't care less about Macs in an AD environment, it is not their core business and MS also couldn't care less, they push AD and Exchange.
Also key to mention, Apple has no delusions that Mac OS X Server and OD (Open Directory /LDAP) will summarily replace AD/Exchange. Apple knows this will not happen at the enterprise level (5000 users plus).
But, Apple knows this could happen at the Small to Medium Business level.
For example, all these cool Final Cut Pro, 3D graphics Mac shops here in Hollywood who are getting slammed by MS Exchange CALs (costly connection licenses) and have to hire a full-time Windows AD/Exchange admin, and get not so great MS Exchange mail/calendar in the process. They are looking for a cheaper, sleeker and more than likely Apple/Mac solution.
Apple's answer: Leopard Server: Teams, Mail Server, Wiki, PodCast Producer, CalDAV. One server, no CALs. I for one think this is genius on Apple's part. Know your business demographic.
Macs, IT, Apple Mail App, Exchange
There is (currently) no native MAPI Exchange email client for Mac OS X period, much less the iPhone.
Yet Macs can access Exchange mail servers via Apple Mail App or (Entourage) (not natively, as on Windows Outlook).
It can be done, I do it. IMAP must be turned on on the Exchange server. Is it great? If you have 1000's of emails and attachments, it is Not Great. Period. It is somewhat slow with a lot of mail and attachments.
These Mac Mail App on Exchange issues are generally known across the industry.
But, if you keep your mail box pruned and streamlined, Mail, Exchange, IMAP work fine for me and most people.
But if you keep your mail pruned and streamlined this is also true of Windows Outlook users on these same Exchange servers.
I get the following question often and I believe there is some insight to be garnered.
Why does Apple's Dot Mac IMAP work so fast and I have 1000's of email, why does my university IMAP mail work so great, so fast? So perhaps it's not the nature of IMAP, but MS's implementation of IMAP that very well could be, that MS's IMAP just sucks and is slow on Exchange servers, but after all does MS really care, for the most part IMAP is turned off and Windows Outlook clients are connecting via MS's MAPI.
Outlook, MAPI and Exchange
Will MS ever make another true Mac Mail App that connects to Exchange natively, as Win Outlook does?, or provide Active Sync, don't know, maybe.
Which leads me to this, I submit the following to be true of Microsoft and most MS IT shops, actually an axiom of sorts.
You have got to think that MS likes the idea that a strategy to keep Macs out of IT, is that Macs cannot (natively connect) to Exchange via MAPI, no true Exchange / Calendar client for the Mac, which often times means no Macs in IT, and after all IT is mostly Windows and let's keep it that way.
Anyone who tells me that MS and the corresponding IT world (which is mostly MS) does not like this not so little mutually beneficial arrangement and the perpetuating of it, is lying, they love it.
More business / money for MS and more job security for Windows (only) IT professionals.
iPhone in "IT" on Exchange, Backberry's and Treo's
The big iPhone question:
Can the iPhone connect natively to an MS Exchange company e-mail / calendar server?
Let's be very clear, the iPhone in its current functionality, is not a Treo or Blackberry, where in the event new (Exchange) email arrives, it is automatically "pushed" to you. OK, that is clear.
But the answer is, as far as we know, No, (with Active Sync, Yes).
Is a solution / announcement by Steve Jobs coming. I would have to think Apple / SJ and the senior executives talked about this solution on day one of the iPhone, and I'll bet anything you can count on this one thing happening in some incarnation, soon.
Macs (Apple) are kept out of IT by there not being a truly native Exchange mail / calendar client solution, but getting and keeping Macs in a typical IT world has been up until now a hard sell, not so with iPhone.
iPhones, will be prolific. Let's examine. Apple can hope for perhaps a 10% plus growth in Mac sales per year. So if in 2007 Apple sells, let's say 10 millions Macs, they can hope for 11 million in 2008, 1 million more.
Analysts are projecting 10 of millions of iPhones to be sold by the month. The iPhone (and future like devices) is Apple's growth area, but I also add, the iPhone is well, still a Mac, it has Mac OS X on it and Safari, etc.
So will IT support the iPhone?
I am trying to really understand what we mean by support the iPhone in an IT environment, because let's first see exactly what the iPhone is and what we mean by "support".
It is:
1) A truly new device, that just happens to be based on the rather stable and powerful Mac OS X, it is a computer really in your palm.
2) But also a new type of computer, not one IT has come across in the past. It is a computer that limits what can be installed on it by the user (which I believe is a good thing) one that just works really, for all the cool stuff you would want or need: phone, email, chat, calendar, web, ipod, web browse.
In other words, not a typical desktop that can demand endless hours to maintain / "support".
I submit a computer, that will need little to no IT support.
It will need no support beyond IT saying we are on Exchange mail and these are your options, or we are on IMAP/POP mail and these are your options,
So if your company is on Exchange Mail and you are on an iPhone, with Mac Mail App and Safari, these are your options (currently),
1) Provided your company has an OWA, Outlook Web Access server, you can log into that via Safari web browser. Now, Admittedly on ATT's Edge, it will be slow and cumbersome (you will have to log in), no automatic email coming to you. Not great.
2) Forward your work Exchange mail to your .Mac (or iPhone / Yahoo Push IMAP), forward it at your local Mac or at your server.
3) Your company or (university) is not on an Exchange mail server and uses standard IMAP with SSL just like .Mac does
3) Pray and hope a slick and powerful iPhone native Exchange solution / announcement by Apple / Steve Jobs is coming very soon, as I mention above.
I also submit, the iPhone will be a huge hit period, mainly in the consumer space and while this IS corporate email / calendar functionality is a good idea (cannot hurt), it will not hurt the sales of iPhone and it's huge proliferation that much at all.
Apple continues to say, "We are a consumer company, that is our market" and I believe it.
The Mobile Wi-Fi Revolution
Let's discuss cellular and Wi-Fi.
It seems to me (2.5 / 3G) is old and not where Apple or ATT are ultimately going. (Yes, HSDPA is faster, but still cellular).
How long has 802.11 been around? 7 years plus?
Was it still faster than cellular 7 years ago? Yes.
Why have the wireless telecom companies not rolled out Voice Over IP (VOIP) over Wi-Fi to replace slow, aging, costly, cellular networks? Where are these cool new Wi-Fi devices that will use it and justify its building cost?
It seems to me the wireless telecom industry is like those who build a bridge and say, we are going to charge you a 3 buck toll to go over this bridge and this will pay for the bridge. It will be fully paid for in 3 years, we'll say.
And 6 years later they are still charging 3 buck toll to get over the bridge. No one says anything. They hope the people don't notice, don't dare ask. Where is all this money going?, the bridge has been built.
These wireless telecoms keep getting paid regardless, even if they do not upgrade their infrastructure. This is the core issue.
Then comes the iPhone, that has what on it, Wi-Fi, the real trojan horse of the iPhone.
I am trying to imagine SJ and Phil S, etc in the first meetings with ATT on the iPhone and ATT being selected as the iPhone carrier,
You think someone from ATT didn't raise their hand and say, "Hey Apple I notice there is Wi-Fi on the iPhone, are you (Apple) going to provide a iChat / Skype type VOIP application and allow people to make "free" calls over Wi-Fi, 802.11g/n.
And I'll bet Steve J chuckled to himself initially, looked over to Phil and then said this to ATT,
"You know what guys, you bet your ass we are, and you can get in on this, or do you want someone else to profit on this VOIP / Wi-Fi venture, I am sure other wireless telecoms are already planning on a wide-scale provisioning of Wi-Fi / telecom infrastructure throughout the U.S. as the future, aren't you"
Anyone else notice the glaring absence of one application on the iPhone, full iChat, why?
Yes you have texting, but where's the full iChat. SJ will eventually announce it when it is ready with all the VOIP / SIP technologies, functionality, etc.
I believe ATT is already planning for this now and in the future, cellular technology is expensive, old and dead compared to Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, VOIP. That's where all this is going, and I believe SJ is leveraging the iPhone as the impetus to finally break the logjam of stagnant technology / old data infrastructure of the wireless telecoms, and I do believe ATT gets it, we'll see.
Now any suggestions for how to best get my iPhone on Friday, the 29th at 6 p.m.?
John is an Apple Sr. Systems Engineer in Los Angeles, specializing in Apple pro audio/video and Information Services solutions, guitarist / music producer.
