Could We See an iPhone in the White House One Day Soon?
11:23 am, March 4th, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
It’s no secret President Obama and much of his team are big Mac fans, or that some of their more publicized frustrations with the transition to power in DC have come with confronting the challenges posed by outdated Windows technology and requirements to meet legal guidelines for security and archiving of official communications.
Perhaps readers will recall, as well, Obama’s stated desire to continue using his Blackberry in office and the various and sundry security concerns that have arisen around that issue.
News Wednesday is that Waltham, Mass.-based Onset Technologies may be working on technology that could allow the President to use an iPhone, should that desire strike the Commander in Chief.
Many high profile government groups, including the US House of Representatives, the Senate and NASA, use Onset’s METAmessage ACT to secure correspondence on mobile devices, as do many private businesses. The technology can scan, block and archive all wireless communication on a device that uses it and keeps companies compliant with regulations like SEC, NASD, Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, FINRA and the latest Privacy Act.
While Blackberry maker Research in Motion is Onset’s most high-profile partner to date, the company’s solutions are available on all the major US carriers and it is looking to expand its reach.
Onset expects to release new versions of METAmessage ACT for Windows Mobile and Symbian soon and yes, even hopes to make a version for the Apple iPhone.
Via VentureBeat
Posted by Lonnie Lazar in News, iPhone | Comment on this article
I have a friend who is upset that the iPhone cannot be used with VPN services. He can’t update his address book or calendar from work as the iPhone can’t communicate with this service. Until this is changed, I doubt the White House (or any corporation) is going to adapt any Apple technology into its system.
For me, there is no problem… I work at a community college without VPN. My wife, on the other hand, works at a major hospital, and would have a definite issue with this.
Robert, on March 4th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
iPhone does indeed to VPN, including the ubiquitous RSA SecureID favored by the government and its contractors. Check your iPhone Settings under General, then Network.
If you dont have an iPhone to check, at least check your facts. Or Apple’s support site. Or a google search…
Adam, on March 4th, 2009 at 1:31 pm