Small Business

Five Workforce Apps for the iPhone

By Rick Broida

Updated on: September 4, 2008 / 10:33 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

When the iPhone first debuted last year, it wasn't exactly enterprise-friendly. It couldn't sync with Exchange servers, couldn't run third-party apps, and so on. Of course, all that changed with the introduction of the iPhone 3G, which brought Exchange support, the App Store, robust security, and other enterprisey goodness. For a snapshot of the latest entries in the software front, check out the Business Tech blog's roundup of five enterprise apps for the iPhone. A few highlights:

SAP The business management software maker released its iPhone version of a sales force automation suite, ahead of other platforms such as the BlackBerry. SAP said in a statement that the software will load business contacts, information on sales prospects, and account data onto the device.
Salesforce.com Mobile One of the earlier vendors to release an iPhone app, Salesforce.com in March showed off a preliminary version of its CRM product based on the beta version of the iPhone SDK. The software connects users to their CRM records. The free version allows users to search and view contacts and accounts, but users need to sign up for the paid version to edit their data, according to Salesforce.com's Web site.

Needless to say, some heavy hitters are lining up to support what was originally a consumers-only handset. So fess up: Has the iPhone earned a spot in your enterprise? If not, will any/all of these new apps make the difference?