Today Apple announced the details of the iPhone 2.0 software beta. Many new features are coming to the coolest gadget on the planet. Of particular interest to me is the integration of Cisco’s VPN client software into the iPhone. This will be a full blown IPSEC client that will even support the use of certificates or password based multi-factor authentication. Very nice! The iPhone VPN client will be able to connect to Cisco VPN gateway devices, like the Cisco ASA and older Cisco PIX.
Apple also announced support for WPA enterprise with 802.1x authentication coming in the 2.0 code. This will enable more enterprises to allow the iPhone to connect securely to their wireless infrastructure.
According to Apple, the iPhone 2.0 code will be ready by June ’08 as a free upgrade.
However, Apple is currently accepting applications from enterprise customers who would like to sign-up for the Beta Program. Here is the link http://www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise
For the office Apple announcement see here:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/03/06iphone.html
On another note, I wonder if anyone will write a security app for the iPhone using their newly announced SDK interface.
So will you be connecting iPhones to your business now that it will have the new Cisco VPN client embedded plus the new wireless security features?
The opinions expressed in this article are my own and not those of my employeer
Jamey Heary, CCIE No. 7680, is a security consulting systems engineer at Cisco. He leads its Western Security Asset team and is a field advisor for Cisco's global security virtual team. Jamey is the author of the recently published Cisco NAC Appliance: Enforcing Host Security with Clean Access. His areas of expertise include network and host security design and implementation, security regulatory compliance, and routing and switching. His other certifications include CISSP, CCSP, and Microsoft MCSE. He is also a Certified HIPAA Security Professional. Jamey has been working in the IT field for 14 years and in IT security for 9 years.
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