“Apple Inc. made clear Monday at its annual developer conference that it was opening its famously closed operating system environment in the hopes of attracting more innovative apps to its ecosystem,” Michael Hickins reports for The Wall Street Journal. “But these changes could make Apple devices less secure, and would seem to require an adjustment by Apple to how it relates to corporate IT departments, according to Stephen Gillett, chief operating officer at Symantec Corp., and former CIO of Starbucks Corp.”
“The bid is clearly a way of driving more apps to the ecosystem Apple hopes to develop around a new slate of devices it’s likely to introduce this fall. It also signals a significant change with how Apple deals with the outside world,” Hickins reports. “It is allowing developers deeper into its operating system than before – for example by allowing apps to interact with its onboard keyboard, fingerprint reader and cloud storage systems.”
“Allowing developers deeper into the OS implies a trade-off, and Mr. Gillett argues that Apple should be open about that,” Hickins reports. “‘You trade access for security… They traded access to get innovation… That will come at the expense of closed-system stability and security. There was a reason [the OS] was closed before,’ Mr. Gillettt said during an interview.”
“According to Mr. Gillett, ‘Apple has been a huge antagonist to IT,” harkening back to Steve Jobs’ comment about CIOs being the ‘orifice’ of an organization,” Hickins reports. “Mr. Gillett feels that Apple should do more to embrace CIOs and the enterprise more broadly. ‘I’m waiting for Tim Cook to say ‘we want to have a relationship, and no longer view you as the orifice,” he said.”
MacDailyNews Take: This particular IT doofus sounds like an orifice if there ever was one. It’s dinosaurs like this that mired the world in the Dark Ages of Personal Computing, stagnating progress (in the corporate setting, at least) for some two decades. The sooner these doofuses retire and leave matters to people with open minds who understand the full breadth of technology, not just what the Microsoft dinosaurs tell them to think, the better.
Instead of spouting off baseless tripe to the WSJ, Gillett should be attending WWDC sessions and learning something about OS X and iOS for a change.
“Not everyone believes Apple has stiff-armed IT departments. Christy Wyatt, chief executive of mobility applications vendor Good Technology Corp., says Apple has ‘done quite a lot in the last year to enable [mobile device management].’ Ms. Wyatt spoke with CIO Journal Tuesday on the sidelines of a Good customer event in New York. According to recent Good Technology report, Apple dominates device activations in the enterprise world with iOS reporting 72% of total device activations in the first quarter. The report covers more than 5,000 organizations in 180 countries,” Hickins reports. “She noted that Apple recently provided tools allowing IT departments to upload apps to mobile devices, and has given corporate IT departments more time to review upcoming changes to its iOS mobile operating system.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Well, it’s nice to end on some common sense, we suppose.
Smart businesses are transforming, and have already transformed, their technology with Apple’s very secure Macs, iPads, and iPhones. Those who don’t are falling further behind with each passing day.
If your employees who use computers aren’t yet using Apple devices on a daily basis, you need need a new IT person.
More info: apple.com/business.
Related articles:
Apple computing devices surge in corporate, retail; productivity increases – January 9, 2014
Analyst: Apple iPad makes big enterprise gains as Android tablets fail to take hold – December 3, 2013
Apple’s iOS dominating in the enterprise – October 18, 2013
Over 95% of custom apps developed by businesses are written for Apple iOS devices – October 17, 2013
BYOD boosts Macs vs. Windows PCs: The final barriers to widespread Mac adoption in the enterprise are eroding – February 19, 2013
Mac attack: The world finally begins ultimate personal computing upgrade – January 17, 2012
Apple Macs continue to invade the enterprise – September 5, 2012
Gartner: Apple Macs invading the Windows PC-dominated enterprise – June 6, 2012
Mac Attack: Get ready IT doofus, your world is about to be turned right-side-up – November 28, 2011
Hell freezes over: Forrester urges IT to support the Mac – October 27, 2011
Corporate Mac sales surge 66% as Apple makes huge enterprise gains – May 20, 2011
Mac vs. Windows in business case study: Macs have 1/3 fewer problems that are solved 30% faster – June 2, 2008
CIO: Apple’s Mac OS X is the most cost effective operating system – September 24, 2007
Apple Mac desktops, notebooks top PC Magazine’s Annual Reader Satisfaction survey – again – September 18, 2007
CIO: Eight financial reasons why you should be using Apple Mac – August 01, 2007
Switching business from Windows to Mac offers significant savings – July 23, 2007
WWDC NOTE: “98% of Fortune 500 using Apple devices (And we’re going to get that other 2%!!)”
These changes in the “openess” of iOS and OS is ALL ABOUT THE ENTERPRISE!!!
Geeez….
Mr. Gillett, like so many, misunderstands the very great difference between imply and infer. He suggests the deeper access into Apple’s operating systems “implies a trade-off” with security, and he adds, “Apple should be open about that.”
Two facts he did not take into account: 1) Apple addressed security questions by offering details on how they have that covered; and 2) Apple implied nothing. In fact, Gillett inferred the whole thing. I’ll leave that last line for Mr. Gillett to research in a dictionary.
Why, oh why does MDN continue to forward this crap. It is worthless from a content perspective, and a truth perspective. It’s only value is in drinking page views for MDN. Stop it! You are always deriding others as hit whores and you do it with increasing regularity.
MDN shouldn’t post articles like this that prompt you to post lengthy comments because they aren’t interesting to you or something. Okay, got it.
They are, have been and always will.
Wall Street (scam) Journal (scum) always looking for the worst possible scenario.
I’ve never had an issue integrating an Apple computer into a Windows environment, you just have to be smarter than the Microsoft robots!
Ditto, the old eMac worked faultlessly for 6 years on the MS network at my last university, though I had to fight to get it there. Back in Oz universities are nearly all dominated by Macs; students, staff and even admin!
Isn’t that a given that the Apple device user is smarter than the average IT doofus?
How about getting the Mavericks email IMAP feature to work? That would help, since it has been a FAIL for six months now and Federighi (sp) implied that it MIGHT work in Yosemite. Business users have been hung out to dry, again, and admin advocates made to look like fools, again. Heck of a job, Timmy.
My guess is that you are talking about Google Mail, which uses a proprietary form of IMAP. Apple has been working with Google to fix the incompatibility. All other IMAP email clients work well with the current version of Mail.
It appeared after the keynote that all the gagglites swam back into the sewer, but I guess not all got the memo that you lost.
Apple already has.
Perhaps it’s time that the few remaining corporate IT holdouts look through the windshield rather than the rear view mirror..
There is a reason that Stephen Gillett is the former CIO of Starbucks.
The author of the article either did not see the keynote, or did not understand what he was seeing. What Apple offers are ways for 3rd parties to expand device functionality without exposing the underlying operating system to risk. I suspect he simply did not understand the explanation and is parroting unrelated security concerns to mask his ignorance. Few of his readers will know enough to question his assertions.
You”ll have to forgive Mr. Gillett, he comes from deep in Microsoft land where any new change can potentially make your entire software stack become unreliable or a security nightmare.
The road to recovery will be long and hard but with help he might yet get a Mac and then the world can see him smile again.
“But these changes could make Apple devices less secure…”
Sez the chief operating officer at Symantec.
IOW he’s looking to stir up some FUD and maybe sell some anti-virus software.
All but 2 Fortune 500 companies have incorporated iOS devices. I assume MSFT is 1. Any guesses on 2. AMZN, GOOG?
Actually, it is 2% which would be ~10 companies.
““Allowing developers deeper into the OS implies a trade-off, and Mr. Gillett argues that Apple should be open about that,” . “‘You trade access for security”
They are talking as if this is something new.
Apple has ALWAYS granted access to new technology slowly, down the road, when it made sense.
It was the innate hostility of the IT crowd and their apologists in corporations that was the problem, nothing that Apple did was going to change that prejudice. its only because of the dominance of the mobile devices that Apple was able to break through that oppressive wall. Now that Apple has the initiative IT can no longer take its stone age attitude and has to grow and adapt or replace the dinosaurs.
His attitude actually sums up the problem, people like him complain that Apple is too much a walled garden but then go on about how Apple should tell everyone that by easing that stance everything won’t be so secure. They have their excuses whatever Apple does and that absolutely sums up the bigotry that Apple could never previously on the Mac alone have broken down. The fact in this very different day and age he can still express this FUD with no evidence to back up his contention only proves that. Hopefully fewer and fewer bother to listen any more and judge upon performance and experience.
Even in the face of XP viruses, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows RT, the Sinofski-debarcle, Monkey-boy antics, MS mismanagement, etc IT departments will NEVER move from Windows to Mac. Forget it.
Apple would have to pull their Windows CD Keys from their cold dead hands.
Why would you want the Mac as a significant player in IT. You would rue the day when an IT professional had control of your Apple products.
bout the hostility towards Apple products:
Remember thayt most IT people are trained to manage Windows networks. Most companies do not spend money on training (having it go to the bottom line as a savings). I’ve found most IT people find Macs intriguing.
OTOH, I would point out again that most enterprise machines are glorified typewriters. We just outfitted our building with refurbs running Windows 7; all at less than $300 a desk. Until you can do that with Apple products, you will never have a chance at Enterprise domination.
BTW- we have many macs here. Everyone gets along just fine.