Microsoft is boldly entering the smartphone enterprise market by announcing a 2008 launch of its first dedicated mobile server. Gates and company are competing against Research in Motion, which holds a 70 per cent share in the business mobile industry.
Digital Journal — In a keynote address at this week’s CTIA wireless conference in San Francisco, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled details about the Server Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. The software will let IT administrators remotely manage mobile devices much like they do with PCs or laptops.
Using the server on Windows Mobile devices, IT admins can remotely turn off a phone’s camera or disable unauthorized messages services, for example. The Washington Post explains another advantage:
Mobile Device Manager integrates with Microsoft’s System Center so administrators with that software can use the existing active directory and group policy feature to disseminate policies. For example, an organization may already have a set of policies for a group that contains field sales people so an administrator can choose to set mobile policies for that same group, pushing out changes to all of their Windows Mobile phones at once.
Microsoft expects to release the mobile server in the first half of 2008, and more than 5,000 users will reportedly be supported at launch.
Microsoft is entering territory marked by RIM, creator of the ubiquitous BlackBerry. According to Yankee Group Research, RIM is the enterprise mobile leader with 70 per cent market share. What many tech analysts have noted is RIM’s success at making both the hardware and software, while also offering services to help companies deploy the devices.
Microsoft’s first mobile server is a solid first step to attacking RIM’s pole position. But the software giant will have to do more than just enter the battleground; it needs to flash enough weapons to do serious damage to its competitor.
