eWeek has a different opinion about Windows Phone 7’s business features and points out many places in which they are lacking.
At launch, there will be no support for System Center, nor is there Domain Join or Active Directory Group Policy support–although Bryan said Microsoft will look to add System Center support down the road.
The lack of System Center support means that third-party mobile management solutions that leverage System Center–such as Odyssey Athena–will needed to start from scratch. I expect early products from such companies to focus primarily on data collection and inventory capabilities while lacking critical provisioning and deployment features. Nor will private Windows Marketplaces be usable for corporate distribution of mobile applications to Windows Phone 7–Microsoft is looking at the feasibility of that idea, but has nothing to announce at this point.
For secured connectivity, enterprises may be dissatisfied with what they find within Windows Phone 7. The forthcoming OS only supports three basic types of secured connectivity: HTTPS for Web applications, an SSL VPN via UAG (Unified Access Gateway) for the SharePoint client and the security built into EAS. Microsoft has seen fit not to include a built-in IPSEC or SSL VPN client or support for DirectAccess.
Luckily, Microsoft still has the very powerful Windows Phone 6.x (formerly Windows Mobile) and Windows CE 7.0 for use in more demanding business scenarios.
Originally published on Pocketnow on June 15, 2010. More Smartphone News articles from the Pocketnow archive.