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Yes, Virginia, the iPhone is ready for the enterprise.

Just barely, that is, as there's still room for improvement on everything from application support to security to calendar access. Yet Apple's latest handset is now viewed as a legitimate enterprise mobile device, according to a new Gartner report.

"It's acceptable for enterprise use if the security it provides is the same as other handsets in play," Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner (NYSE: IT), told InternetNews.com. "You're only as secure as the lowest denominator," the analyst added.

The iPhone features a complex password system for Microsoft Exchange users and a "wipe" feature that clears the phone's contents when a password is violated. Neither security aspect was provided on the initial firmware, according to Gartner.

The research assessment comes as iPhone users are increasingly pushing the device through back doors to use as a workplace smartphone, since IT teams have been reluctant to formally adopt the popular handset due to what has been viewed as weak security mechanisms.

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