[Aero]

Just want to note that Sprint is making it clear to business sellers that WebOS is not right for Enterprise at this time.

Sell the Palm Pre to the Right Customer
The Palm Pre is an easy device to use, but it may not be the
best phone for every customer.
Properly Qualify the Customer
The Palm Pre is best suited for non-IT Centric
business users.
Answer these questions to help determine if the Pre
or the Treo Pro is the right mobile device for your “IT
Centric” business.
•• Does your company have specific security and
manageability requirements for mobile devices?
•• Does your company have specific application
requirements?
•• Does your line of business require specific product
features on mobile devices?
•• Does your company centrally provision devices for large
deployments?
Answer Key:
•• If YES, then the Treo Pro is your best mobile device
option.
•• If NO, then the Pre is your best mobile device option.
We Can't Afford to Sell the Pre to the Wrong Customers.

Not a slam on the Pre, and I am sure Enterprise issues will not take more than a year or so, butit is interesting that they mention this specifically for now.

[Gekko]

just like iphone. although i'm surprised that Palm is ceding the enterprise to WinMob. but maybe phase 2 is incorporating standardized enterprise tools into WebOS.

[hparsons]

Just want to note that Sprint is making it clear to business sellers that WebOS is not right for Enterprise at this time.

Not a slam on the Pre, and I am sure Enterprise issues will not take more than a year or so, butit is interesting that they mention this specifically for now.

I think the questions are important in evaluating that, and also note that this was not meant to be a "customer facing" FAC. More of a tool to determine whether or not it's a good device for a customer who said "Yes" to any of those questions.

I think the intent was to not raise expectations, only to have disappointment and returns (and negative comments).

[hparsons]

...
but maybe phase 2 is incorporating standardized enterprise tools into WebOS.

I'd bet money on that one.

[Aero]

Well that is why I said I expect enterprise uptake in a year.

I do think it is interesting that they are being so upfront about it. There are many posts here of people claiming it would be enterprise ready and I always had my doubts.

[Gekko]

Well that is why I said I expect enterprise uptake in a year.

I do think it is interesting that they are being so upfront about it. There are many posts here of people claiming it would be enterprise ready and I always had my doubts.

they dont want a lot of returns. it will kill their margins.

[timGSU]

Well that is why I said I expect enterprise uptake in a year.

I do think it is interesting that they are being so upfront about it. There are many posts here of people claiming it would be enterprise ready and I always had my doubts.

really depends on the enterprise and how they manage their phones. It's ready for a good deal of enterprises, just not ones that want to manage the phones completely remotely.

[rhewitt]

I'm not certain how much more Palm can do for enterprise support, but I'm wondering if this might meet my security requirements after all. I've discussed it a bit with our (CISSP) security officer and our VP of IS. Here are my thoughts, and I'm looking for some information (but expecting to only receive speculation) that people might be able to provide.

First, why I think this may be closer to the end product than you might think. Palm is trying to offer multi-server Exchange ActiveSync support. That makes remote security administration a bit more complicated. I hoped it meant that the shortest mandated timeout, longest password, and most complex password would be enforced, but that certainly is not how Exchange ActiveSync would normally work. Our security officer already acknowledged this could be handled with procedures, inspections, and the right to future inspections so he is willing to work a bit harder in order to add this device to our list (he likes the device and is willing to cut it some slack if he can still be assured our security is tight). Palm also does not want one company to delete the data of seven other companies, but does want the user to be able to completely wipe the phone if it is lost. This at first seemed like a potential deal-breaker for us, but I'm not sure now.

If initiating a remote wipe through EAS would result in the deletion of all the data associated with that particular account, we might be able to live with this. Does anybody have any information on whether this would work? I realize it will not do a complete wipe through EAS, but if that would cause the Exchange server to list everything as deleted it would wipe all the relevant data from the phone.

I don't suppose somebody would be willing to run a semi-destructive experiment? Of course it requires Exchange administration and access to the Pre as well, and there may not be many people that could perform this particular task at the moment.... I'm very hopeful to at least get permission to try this myself on June 8th, and I will definitely post the results. I'm in IS management, though my boss and the security officer definitely have the final say here.

[cary328is]

In other words...IT-centric business users: please do not line up for the Pre on June 6th so we can get our phones.

[hparsons]

really depends on the enterprise and how they manage their phones. It's ready for a good deal of enterprises, just not ones that want to manage the phones completely remotely.

Exactly. For many enterprises, I'd even say most enterprises, the Pre will be fine.

[Gekko]

solid EAS is the key. it's plug and play even for tech dummies!

if i'm a big enterprise, why do i want to waste money on BIS when i can do EAS virtually for free?????????? and i can make employees buy and support their own devices??????????????????????? even the bean counters can love that.

[dslunceford]

Will the Pre not support Enterprise Exchange out of the box?

[Gekko]

Will the Pre not support Enterprise Exchange out of the box?

Email, Wi-Fi, and GPS

Check Microsoft Exchange email or personal email accounts like Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo!.1,6 Take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots.1 And look up directions or nearby points of interest using GPS.7 It's everything you need when you're on the go.

2 Available for Exchange ActiveSync only. Requires Microsoft Outlook using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later. Within wireless coverage area only. Requires data services at additional cost.

Palm Pre Phone - Features, Details, Reviews : Palm USA

[ADGrant]

solid EAS is the key. it's plug and play even for tech dummies!

if i'm a big enterprise, why do i want to waste money on BIS when i can do EAS virtually for free?????????? and i can make employees buy and support their own devices??????????????????????? even the bean counters can love that.

First of all you are confusing BIS (basically free) with BES (expensive). Secondly, most employees of major corporations aren't really capable of supporting their own devices and their IT depts may not want them to. In the end the bean counters don't have the final say, the lawyers do and they often want the companies email systems tightly controlled.
Thirdly, standardizing on a single platform saves a company a lot of money in support costs. Often the easiest thing for a company to do is just standardize on Blackberries.

[Gekko]

First of all you are confusing BIS (basically free) with BES (expensive). Secondly, most employees of major corporations aren't really capable of supporting their own devices and their IT depts may not want them to. In the end the bean counters don't have the final say, the lawyers do and they often want the companies email systems tightly controlled.
Thirdly, standardizing on a single platform saves a company a lot of money in support costs. Often the easiest thing for a company to do is just standardize on Blackberries.

BIS, BES you know what i meant. as far as cost and security, it depends on the size of the enterprise and the nature of business.

[hparsons]

Will the Pre not support Enterprise Exchange out of the box?

Yes it will. However, some functions of EAS (Exchange Active Sync) won't be there.

[kilofoxtrot]

Are we sure that the Pre will work on the Enterprise? I have heard that the warp engines interfere with cell phones.

[Derek Kessler]

Are we sure that the Pre will work on the Enterprise? I have heard that the warp engines interfere with cell phones.

Nah, it's just like cell phones on planes - the work and don't interfere, but nobody wants to be stuck on there with some guy blabbing about closing the Scranton branch the entire flight.

[rhewitt]

Exactly. For many enterprises, I'd even say most enterprises, the Pre will be fine.

Their first instinct will be the same as ours, it sounds unacceptable and they probably won't work as hard to make it work.

There will be a lot less acceptance than of the iPhone, and this isn't something they can address as easily as Apple did. The fundamental problem of supporting multiple Exchange servers and how it complicates remote wipe and security policies is here to stay.

I still have some hope that we can remote wipe our data and Palm may eventually be able to institute the shortest timeout, longest password, and most complex password. If we can wipe our data through EAS, Palm needs to let people know that. As it stands, they make it looks entirely unacceptable.

[ADGrant]

Their first instinct will be the same as ours, it sounds unacceptable and they probably won't work as hard to make it work.

There will be a lot less acceptance than of the iPhone, and this isn't something they can address as easily as Apple did. The fundamental problem of supporting multiple Exchange servers and how it complicates remote wipe and security policies is here to stay.

In our company they wouldn't even consider allowing it. It doesn't sound unacceptable, it is unacceptable. We have never had EAS enabled but we used to have PalmOS and WM devices running Goodlink. Now only company owen Blackberries are allowed and they are only permitted to connect to the corporate BES. RIM devices have the concept of an IT Policy which enables an IT dept to lock down a device and prevent it connecting to unauthorized services such as a mail server. Their devices also just work without tinkering of course.