SOUND OFF: What Windows Phone 7 means for the enterprise

It's official, Windows Phone 7 will be the next mobile operating system from Microsoft. The news broke last week and many are anxious to see whether or not it will be an appropriate chassis for the enterprise. Unfortunately, you will have to temper your anticipation a bit; the platform will not be released until the end of 2010.

So what does this mean for CIOs, as they plan their mobility strategy for the remainder of 2010? FierceMobileIT asked several industry experts: What impact will Windows Phone 7 have on the enterprise?

Sean Ryan, Research Analyst, Mobile Enterprise for IDC

"Windows Phone 7 may work well in an enterprise setting; however, it is much more consumer-oriented than many were expecting. It definitely has more of an iPhone or Google Android feel. This release is in line with a greater trend we're seeing toward the consumerization of the enterprise. Rather than being an issued platform, it is more likely that Windows Phone 7 will be coming in through the back door--most likely by execs."

"Many times higher ups in the enterprise want to use something of an 'uberdevice' that allows them to toggle from their personal interests to work at any time. They also want to be able to change devices at anytime. Microsoft likely had this in mind with Windows Phone 7. Microsoft wanted to make sure it would be a top contender when it comes to consumer choice so that execs could introduce it in the enterprise. SharePoint and Windows integration are obviously bonuses."

"Some enterprises may be left with question marks around how consumery the features are--maybe they don't want workers accessing XBox. There may be room for customization in this area and access restrictions to certain features. When these are introduced through the back door it does put the IT department in a tough spot, as far as integrating, managing, controlling and supporting these devices. There could be a few surprises as this happens, as well. I think there will be some issues in dealing with WinMo 6.5. Applications that enterprises may have used will not necessarily be compatible with Windows Phone 7."

Sean Ryan is a worldwide research analyst within IDC's Mobile Enterprise group. In this position, he provides coverage of mobile enterprise software and device technologies for the enterprise and mobile ecosystem providers. His primary focus is on mobile software markets including mobile infrastructure software, mobile middleware, mobile enterprise applications, and mobile device management.

Fritz Nelson, Executive Producer, TechWebTV and VP, Editorial Director, InformationWeek

"The race for mobile dominance in the enterprise is entering stage two, with the first stage winner, Research In Motion, still the early favorite. But the challengers are many (certainly Apple and Android will be players), which makes this exactly the right time for Microsoft to completely redo its offering. It's also a big risk, because developers are already scratching their heads about the never-ending march of new platforms. Microsoft will be a player just because it is Microsoft, but it's not enough to win, and right now we don't know enough about Windows Phone 7 Series to make an adequate prediction...But heck, that's never stopped anyone, has it?"

"The winning platform for stage two will have to steal a few ideas from RIM. It will have to be a manageable platform, and this could be a strength for Microsoft, at least compared to other platforms. It will have to make applications easy to deploy centrally. It will have to be secure, which hasn't always been Microsoft's biggest strength. And because most smartphones start at the executive level, they need to be extremely simple to use (early anecdotal feedback I've heard from Android users is that it is powerful, but a little too geared toward the geekier set). Microsoft can nail most of this."

"What RIM has failed to do is make application development easy enough; and that's where Apple and Android are starting to threaten its hegemony. Since Microsoft has been mum on the development front, there's not much to say here. But the importance of development isn't just about applications that are self-contained, it's also about applications that allow the smartphone to act as a client in a client/server architecture, and not just web-based apps. Most players haven't seemed to give it much thought here, and Microsoft is no exception. The entire Windows Phone 7 Series announcement focused only on the consumer aspects of its new platform, and my guess is that the enterprise is just one target buyer, and a lesser one at that."

Fritz Nelson is the executive producer of TechWebTV and editorial director for InformationWeek and the. Fritz writes about startups and established companies alike, but likes to exploit multiple forms of media into his writing.

Eric Zeman, Blogger, InformationWeek

"Right now it looks like Windows Phone 7 will have a minimal impact on the enterprise. It is a completely new platform and that makes it completely incompatible with any WinMo programs and apps that enterprises were using previously."

"Out of the gate it will support the basic, core Microsoft lines, including Exchange and Sharepoint. But that's about it. Enterprise adoption will probably be a little slow because of incompatibility with other programs."

"Microsoft is hosting a conference in March that will introduce the platform to developers. Everything's built on Silverlight and XNA--which is a gaming platform. We, as IT administrators, need to recognize what opportunities will be made possible, as far as enterprise features, with the use of these codes. We need to determine if this will be a good platform for what we want to do in the enterprise."

"At first, we will see the adoption of Windows Phone 7 is similar to the way iPhone entered the enterprise. Employees will be buying them on their own, with their own money and then they will attempt to link it in from the backend."

Eric Zeman is editor of mobile phone industry website Phonescoop.com. He also blogs about mobility for InformationWeek.

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