Securing your company data on an iPhone

2010-02-03 UPDATE: Google Apps can now remote wipe an iPhone and enforce security policies. Read more here.

Apple has two three* ways to secure company data on an iPhone in the event an iPhone is lost or stolen.

If you have a subscription to Apple’s MobileMe you can now find a lost iPhone and/or wipe all of it’s data from the MobileMe website. More info on the MobileMe capabilities are available on the Apple website.

Many corporate users do not use the MobileMe service (which costs $99/year) but still need to protect the data on their iPhones. Well, Apple has you covered there as well. You can enable a four digit passcode on your phone. If the incorrect passcode is entered 10 times in a row, then all the data on your phone will be erased. If the data is erased accidentally or the code is forgotten you can restore the phone from iTunes.

Here’s how you would enable the setting to wipe your phone after 10 incorrect passcode attempts. From your phone choose:

1. Settings – General – Passcode Lock
2. Enter a 4 digit passcode twice to confirm. Be sure you won’t forget this passcode!
3. From the next menu click on Require Passcode and choose a timeout. A shorter time is more secure.
4. Make sure Erase Data is set to On. Screen should like the image below.

That’s it! Your iPhone will now wipe all data if an incorrect passcode is entered 10 times in a row.

Each method has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. We feel the built-in feature of using a passcode is the most straight forward solution and provides a high level of security.

*Companies running Microsoft Exchange Server can remotely wipe an iPhone. Please see your company’s system administrator for details.