Will Apple Exchange Support Put Pressure On IT?

Apple's upcoming release of OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' will bring Microsoft Exchange 2007 support as well as numerous under-the-hood architectural changes. Native Exchange support will cause Windows-dominated companies to take another look at letting their employees use Macs, and that's going to put pressure on corporate IT departments, according to solution providers.

"IT departments have always used the lack of Exchange support in OS X as an argument against supporting it," said Shane Spiess, president of Portland, Ore.-based Apple reseller MacForce. "This may not be the final piece of the puzzle that convinces companies that have resisted Macs, but it's a major piece."

Microsoft Office For Mac has included Exchange support since 2003 through Entourage, but having full native support for Exchange in Snow Leopard will help Apple gain more enterprise business, according to Dana Stibolt, president of Mac Medics, a Baltimore, Md.-based Apple reseller.

"Being able to ditch Entourage and its clunky database and excessive costs will be welcomed by all," Stibolt said.

Snow Leopard includes updates to Mac OS X Mail, Address Book and iCal to enable smoother integration with Exchange Server 2007. Jay Wooten, president of Visual Dynamics, an Apple specialist based in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., plans to continue supporting Microsoft Office For Mac but says Snow Leopard's Integrated applications will provide a much better user experience.

Some solution providers equate the importance of Exchange support in Snow Leopard with Apple's switch to Unix and Intel-based processors. "Most folks won't even need to boot Windows of any variety to get their work done, and IT will be able to support them without changing anything on the server end," said Erick Laabs, vice president of The Mac Store, a Portland, Ore.-based Apple reseller.

The galloping popularity of the iPhone is also helping to put pressure on IT departments to support Macs. Laabs says he's seeing a "real push" coming from corporate decision makers who own at least one iPhone or iPod. "They're attracted by Macs' ease of use and security, and are asking IT departments to support them, which leads to a conversation that in some cases gets Macs into the office," he said.

Microsoft last March added Exchange support to the iPhone through Microsoft's ActiveSync technology, but the user experience has been far from seamless. But last month's release of iPhone OS 3.0 tightens Exchange support and really brings the iPhone up to speed in the business world, according to Apple resellers.

"iPhone 3.0 has a lot going for it as far as enterprises are concerned," said Marc A. Wolfe, CEO of Proactive Inc., an Apple specialist in Oakland, N.J. "There are pieces we haven't seen before which are going to be critical for business users."