Is the iPhone for business? Some say yes, some say no.Is the iPhone for business? Some say yes, some say no.

The Apple iPhone looks like an ideal business tool: Its a smartphone, just like a BlackBerry or Treo. It has a full-featured Web browser. Et cetera. I wrote a posting about recently  The iPhone is turning into a business tool. However, not everyone agrees with me about that.Forrester Research  one of the most thoughtful analyst firms  states in a report that The iPhone Is Not Meant For Enterprises, and specifically recommends that IT professionals not support the device.

Among the reasons enumerated by Forrester analyst Benjamin Gray is its complete lack of manageability  for example, you cant encrypt the data, or zap it if the phone's stolen or lost.

Another challenge is that its consumer-friendly applications arent business-friendly. The built-in e-mail software is great for talking to Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or your local phone companys mail service, but isnt fully compatible with Microsoft Exchange, a dominant business e-mail system. Thats really bad news for business users.

However, all isnt necessarily lost. Apple is currently searching for a software engineer to help enhance and test the iPhones compatibility with Exchange Server. Keep your eyes open: a future iPhone software update might change Forresters mind.