Problems in iOS 6, Remote Control Provides a Solution

The Internet is rumbling with accounts of Exchange ActiveSync problems when iPhone users upgrade to iOS 6. As you should know, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) is the communication protocol for push email and calendaring -- it's the clever little bit developed for Exchange Server 2003 that Microsoft has licensed widely, which has allowed mobile devices such as iPhones to become staples in the enterprise because users can easily connect to their work email and calendars anywhere.

Which is all great, until there's a problem. Tony Redmond has written a good description of the current problem with iOS 6, along with the news that Microsoft and Apple are working to discover the root cause, in his blog post, "ActiveSync problems with iOS6." However, from other reports, it sounds as if these problems with ActiveSync connections and meeting hijacking stretch back well before the new iOS release.

It's great timing, in any case, that mobile applications management (MAM) vendor Apperian announced today a new iOS Remote Control feature as part of its Enterprise App Services Environment (EASE) platform. EASE gives companies the ability to easily curate what apps are available to end users with connected mobile devices, and it can also be a simple way to deploy in-house developed apps.

With the new iOS Remote Control feature, admins can access and remotely control iPhones through the EASE web interface. According to Apperian, this is "the first and only solution that empowers IT departments to remotely view and interact with employee's iOS devices as if the device was directly in front of them." You don't need to be on the same local network or connect through a VPN; it operates over the cellular network, or however the device is connected.

You can learn more about iOS Remote Control and EASE from Apperian's website. Now, whether this new feature will pinpoint problems with ActiveSync connections remains to be seen, but it should at least help admins determine if users have their credentials configured correctly before escalating to a service ticket with Apple or Microsoft.

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