Eye on Microsoft
About this Blog:
This is Shane O'Neill's blog about Microsoft's corporate strategy and its various software and services — the good, the bad and the ugly.
Windows Phone 7 and Droids: The Exchange Connection Disconnect
Syncing my Windows Phone 7 and Droid Incredible smartphones with Exchange and Outlook shouldn't be this difficult.
I knew Microsoft was more consumer-focused with their new Windows Phones, but I found out today that they are letting businesses fall by the wayside.
I'm not saying Microsoft is neglecting corporate needs, but I did have a personal experience with a Windows Phone this week that made me think twice.
Redmond was kind enough to send me a Samsung Focus Windows Phone, which I've enjoyed playing around with. I really like the category tile layout of the home screen, the access to full-featured Office docs through Office Mobile and the smooth touch-screen capability (WP7 multi-touch is noticeably smoother than my personal Droid Incredible phone).
Slideshow: Windows Phone 7: Visual Tour of 10 Upcoming WP7 Smartphones
Slideshow: Seven New Windows 7 Tablets: In Pictures
Slideshow: Windows 7 Hardware in Pictures: The Latest and Greatest Laptops
It's a good phone, if not exactly visually exciting. The Samsung hardware feels a bit too plasticy. The blue tile layout that gathers information into sections like people, mail, messaging, phone, marketplace, pictures, etc. is well organized for quick access to information, but the "big blue blocks" aesthetic is dull. Nevertheless, the overall interface is better at keeping information at your fingertips than the BlackBerrys and Droids that I've used (Sorry, I can't speak for the iPhone).
But when I tried to connect my WP7 phone to my Outlook e-mail account through EAS (Exchange ActiveSync), I couldn't do it. What a turn off.
It sounds simple enough: sync a Microsoft mobile OS with Microsoft Exchange. I thought these devices were designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft's ecosystem.
Apparently not. When I requested that my Windows Phone be connected to my company's Exchange server I was kindly informed that could not happen because Windows Phone 7 phones do not support on-device encryption.
What the what??
Many businesses require such encryption to be able to access corporate data through EAS policies and they will automatically block connections from devices that don't support device-level encryption.
Apple's iPhone 3G S, iPhone 4, iPad all support on-device encryption. The BlackBerry is renowned for on-device encryption and uses its own server technology, BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server), to connect corporate networks, including Exchange.
Microsoft is letting things slide here. It is preventing me from connecting to Microsoft's own corporate e-mail platform. Windows Phone 7 is targeted at consumers more than Microsoft will admit, and integrating it into your work life is not the no-brainer you would think. They didn't even bother to provide a robust mobile security feature required at most enterprises.
A Microsoft spokesperson stated that Windows Phone 7 supports many Exchange ActiveSync policies, but admits that it does not currently support "advanced on-device encryption." The spokesperson did not comment on whether Microsoft plans to add more on-device encryption to Windows Phone 7 other than to say, "we are not discussing any Windows Phone 7 security measures in depth today, but will continue to innovate on the platform."
On-device encryption has also been a sticking point with connecting Droid phones to corporate networks. Android 2.2 reportedly includes on-device encryption, although I've had trouble getting my new personal HTC Droid Incredible phone, which runs 2.2, connected to Exchange. No one can figure out why. I'm sure IT will sort out what's wrong, but all this trouble getting on Exchange makes me long for my reliable, unsexy BlackBerry Curve, which connected quickly and securely with Exchange through BES. Never had a problem with it.
For now, I have two of the most modern smartphones on the market and neither can connect with Exchange. That don't seem right.
In defense of IT departments everywhere, having workers suddenly demand that their shiny
Previous Post: Google Chrome OS: Less Is (Not) MoreNext Post: Microsoft at CES: Put Up or Shut Up Time on Tablets
What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Most Discussed Posts
Cloud computing has emerged as one of the most significant game changers to hit the technology landscape in the past 20 years. With this massive expansion of the cloud, the perception of the IT organization is shifting from a utility player to a change agent. This eBook breaks down five ways progressive organizations are using cloud-based IT Management solutions to help drive innovation and become more strategic, including: adding visibility and analytics, speeding up time-to-value, lowering costs, improving prioritization, and providing a blueprint for future cloud deployments.
Read the white paper to see how IBM helped Citigroup deliver new services and enhancements to their 200 million customers faster.
There are 3 ways to modernize legacy applications: rewrite completely, acquire packaged solutions or migrate existing code. This paper explains why it's best to migrate and how IBM® Rational® software can help.
Accommodating specific lines of business can result in a hybrid ecosystem of applications and servers. The resulting complexity of this architecture makes for an environment that is costly to maintain and difficult to change when addressing new challenges.
This whitepaper will help you to define a mobile device passcode policy. Security managers must attempt to reconcile two opposing goals. They must: 1) create a passcode policy that is strong enough to protect the device if it is lost or stolen, while: 2) not annoying users with needless length or complexity.
This whitepaper, authored by The Radicati Group, looks at the key reasons organizations should consider moving to a cloud-based archiving solution. Email archiving solutions enable organizations to store, monitor, and collect electronic data exchanged by their users to comply with internal policies and regulations.
ATERNITY will showcase a 30-minute demo on how Fortune 500 companies are leveraging its award-winning FPI Platform to deliver a user-centric approach to Proactive IT Management.
For businesses to move forward and tap into the ever-expanding universe of Internet users and network-enabled devices, it's critical to learn how to make the transition to IPv6. Learn the critical steps your organization must take to make a seamless transition-and keep your business world connected.
Learn how IT teams can protect against spear phishing tactics. Harry Sverdlove, chief technology officer of Bit9 offers a frank discussion about spear phishing - the most common technique used in today's advanced attacks.
Learn how to build a solid business case for your migration to Red Hat Enterprise Linux so you can run leaner, innovate faster, be more flexible and own the New Now.
Social media isn't about you; it's about everything around you. As you consider how your customers want to communicate with you, social media is something that can't be ignored. But what should your strategy be? Is social media "just another channel?" What kind of a plan makes sense for your contact center and for your customers? Join our experts as they share their insight and research results.
Hardware tokens were a popular method of strong authentication in past years but the cumbersome provisioning and distribution tasks, high support requirements and replacement costs have limited their growth. The additional log-in steps that hardware tokens require and the resulting user frustrations have limited adoption and make them impractical for larger scale partner and customer applications.
Sponsored Links
