Cisco Alliance with Apple Advances Mobile Corporate Experience

5 Best Practices for iOS Enterprise MDM

As part of a previously announced alliance, Cisco and Apple today unveiled the benefits of a joint effort to make it easier to integrate Apple mobile computing devices with enterprise networks.

With the formal release today of Apple iOS 10, IT organizations can now prioritize what applications get accessed via a wireless access point utilizing the latest update to Cisco Wireless LAN Controller. In addition, iOS devices can now automatically discover the closest access point, and more seamlessly make use of voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications when attached to a campus network.

Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president and CTO for the Collaboration business unit at Cisco, says the primary goal is to make it as simple to manage Apple devices as it is to use them. Unfortunately, most mobile computing devices today are not treated as full network citizens on corporate networks.

“Smartphones are really treated like unwelcome guests,” says Rosenberg.

Rosenberg says that with the release of Apple iOS 10, end users will experience much smoother handoffs between Cisco wireless access points, especially when making phone calls. At the same time, Rosenberg expects end users will be more willing to make use of VoIP applications when connected to a campus network or Wi-Fi hot spot because the experience will now be very similar to that of using a carrier phone service.

The degree to which this better networking experience results in less shadow IT remains to be seen. But anything that makes end users feel like their mobile computing applications are just as good as their PC applications stands to benefit everyone involved.