Apple’s recent unveiling of iOS 7 at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) has been well-regarded as the company has decided to make some bold moves to its flagship operating system. It has also spawned many articles over how the changes will be taken from the perspective of the consumer, from UI/UX designers, and from developers.

However, Apple business consultants will also have much to consider with the new platform as it adds functionality that has direct application to the operation of business.

BYOD/MDM

iOS 7 will feature a lockout tool meant to be used in the case of theft, Activation Lock. It can be used in the consumer context as well, but in terms of enterprise it will make iPhone and iPad devices easier to roll into a bring-your-own-device solution. This may occur in conjunction with another enhancement, Streamlined MDM Enrollment.

Security

For iOS to make headway in enterprise environments, it has had to address business-level authentication concerns. Most organizations have a form of single sign-on by way of credential systems such as Active Directory or LDAP, and thankfully iOS 7 is bringing enterprise single sign-on to Apple’s mobile devices.

As another bonus to security, all iOS 7 apps will have data protection features enabled by default that previously had to be built into them via a security API.

Connectivity

iOS 7 introduces per-app VPN, allowing remote network connections that are not dependent upon containers. Furthermore, it offers Air Drop as a cleaner alternative to bump-to-share, which is mostly associated with personal sharing but could also find some enterprise use. Finally, iOS features support for Hotspot 2.0, allowing more seamless connection to wi-fi hotspots.

These features demonstrate that Apple is dedicated to creating an iOS presence in the world of enterprise. Contact trusted Apple Business consultants to stay informed on how iOS and OS X devices are impacting business.