Only months after its last update, Apple’s iOS 8 presents a host of new features that will once again redefine how consumers and enterprises use iOS devices. Based on our initial hands-on experience, we believe this is the most fundamental update to iOS for enterprises and developers to date. Organisations will need a clear strategy to get the most out of the changes.

1. iOS 8:
What you need to know

2. Mobile devices are rapidly becoming the professional tool of choice
for workers, and IT administrators are finding themselves paying closer
attention to mobile operating system (OS) updates. Few are more
anxiously anticipated than those of Apple’s iOS.
Only months after its last update,
Apple’s iOS 8 presents a host
of new features that will once
again redefine how consumers
and enterprises use iOS devices.
Based on our initial hands-on
experience, we believe this is the
most fundamental update to iOS
for enterprises and developers to
date. Organisations will need a
clear strategy to get the most
out of the changes.
2
iOS 7’s most substantial advances
arose from its aesthetic and user
experience changes. The shift to
iOS 8 will be less immediately
felt by end users, but the
update represents a much more
significant development. We
believe there are three aspects
organisations should consider:
Openness
The update introduces over 4,000
APIs that expand how apps work
and what they can do. Some of
these have the potential to be
disruptive to whole industries.
Security
Many new features make
iOS 8 more enterprise-ready,
and a new development language,
Swift, will make desktop and
mobile development more
straightforward.
Execution
Getting the most out of iOS 8
will require organisations to think
through the apps that currently
exist, as well as how to build for
new demand.

3. Creating an open ecosystem
iOS 8 marks a significant
change in Apple’s approach to
the platform. It opens up new
capabilities for developers and
allows smoother development
of existing functionalities
across applications.
For example, iOS 8 introduces
a range of productivity
enhancements, including an
adaptive user interface for better
usability across different device
screens. It also introduces geo-location
3
improvements for
more accurate indoor location
mapping, allowing enterprises to
market to in-store shoppers more
effectively. Feature enhancements
include Handoff – part of Apple’s
Continuity feature set – which
allows for more seamless
integration between devices,
and Extensions, which allows
integration between applications.
The update also introduces
interactive notifications, which
may improve engagement by
keeping users up-to-date when
not in your application.
The majority of these
developments are small but
significant enhancements.
However, two new features
foreshadow iOS eventually
becoming a platform that
extends beyond mobile devices:
HomeKit, a framework for APIs
that facilitates connectivity
between home devices.
HealthKit, a framework for
APIs that makes it simpler
to share health-related
information, and may be useful
in healthcare as well as the
burgeoning wearables market.
If Apple successfully creates
ecosystems around these
new features, they may be
significant for the healthcare,
smart home and wearable
technology industries.

4. The launch of iOS 8 will introduce a
range of updates that are likely to
be welcomed by enterprises using
applications to connect with staff
and customers.
4
Mobile Device
Management
For example, new mobile device
management (MDM) tools allow
administrators to monitor iCloud
backups for individual devices
and prevent users from adding
restrictions or erasing services.
This will have an impact on how
enterprises think about MDM and
accelerate the commoditisation
of this market.
Touch ID
Touch ID authentication enables
administrators to establish new
levels of granular personal security
with biometric fingerprinting at the
app level. Similarly, the operating
system’s expanded data protection
gives administrators the ability
to build passcode entry into all
applications for enhanced data
security. This will allow enterprises
to mobilise a greater range of
corporate applications at lower
cost. It may also create a new set
of headaches for administrators
who find themselves managing
another passcode set.
Swift
The new Swift programming
language accelerates app
development and is simpler
to use than the alternative,
Objective-C. This will reduce the
cost of development and make
the platform more attractive
to developers.
TestFlight Integration
TestFlight integration now allows
developers to more easily distribute
beta apps to employees via the
cloud for crowd testing.
Virtual Private Network
iOS 8 introduces a number
of features that will improve
employee productivity. The update
has made virtual private network
(VPN) connections more practical.
Previously, a VPN connection
would quickly drain the batteries
of iOS devices. iOS 8 manages
VPN connections more efficiently
and selectively, allowing devices to
be constantly connected without
taxing battery life.
The cumulative impact of these
changes is to make the platform
easier to develop on, easier to
secure and more ready to support
enterprise deployments.
Being enterprise-ready

5. Getting the most out of iOS 8
The launch of iOS 8 presents many
opportunities for more efficient
application development and
operation. If your company is yet
to adapt to Apple’s changes, now
is the time to act. We suggest
following six key steps when
modifying apps for Apple’s new
operating system:
5
1. Examine each new feature
offered in the iOS 8 update and
identify those that could make
life easier for your developers,
employees and customers.
2. Train your development
team to account for the new
features and languages, or engage
a development team with the
requisite skills.
3. Embark on a planning and
design phase to harness new
features and identify fixes found
during regression testing.
4. Review the functionality,
codes and features of current
applications to determine whether
the iOS 8 updates present
any obstacles to use. Also run
regression tests to ensure your
existing apps continue to work
on relevant devices and systems
after upgrading. For example,
organisations running existing
MDM platforms may need to
update and test their version of the
application to account for iOS 8’s
new MDM features.
5. Run through an interactive
cycle of building and testing
new applications to adapt to
the changes and ensure the best
user experience possible for
new features.
6. Release your updated
applications to the market
and promote the benefits of
the upgrade to allow users to
get more out of your app and
your organisation.

6. Download from
Windows Phone Store
How Accenture can help
Accenture is helping businesses
around the world manage
operating system upgrades
across multiple platforms. We
bring together leading experts –
including application architects,
user experience and interface
designers, test automation experts
and engineers – to help you
develop high-quality apps that
can be rapidly deployed.
For more information,
please contact:
Trent Mayberry
Managing Director, Accenture
Mobility, Asia Pacific
Trent.A.Mayberry@accenture.com.
Craig McNeil
Managing Director, Accenture
Mobility, North America
Craig.A.McNeil@accenture.com.
Michele Marrone
Managing Director, Accenture
Mobility, Europe, Africa and
Latin America
Michele.Marrone@accenture.com.
6
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7. About Accenture Mobility About Accenture
Cover
Accenture Mobility, part of Accenture
Accenture is a global management
Digital, plans, implements and manages
consulting, technology services and
mobility solutions for businesses
outsourcing company, with more than
and public organizations, including
293,000 people serving clients in
developing and implementing enterprise
more than 120 countries. Combining
mobility strategies; incorporating
unparalleled experience, comprehensive
applications and managed services;
capabilities across all industries and
creating and delivering mCommerce
business functions, and extensive
solutions; and supplying credible,
research on the world’s most successful
business ready Connected Product
companies, Accenture collaborates
offerings. Accenture Mobility services
with clients to help them become
are based on deep industry insights and
high-performance businesses and
technical expertise that helps clients
governments. The company generated net
across all industries achieve growth,
revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal
efficiency and manage a successful
year ended Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page
transformation as they adopt the tools
is www.accenture.com.
of a digital business. Find out more by
following @mobilitywise and visiting
www.accenture.com/mobility.
Copyright © 2014 Accenture
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are trademarks of Accenture.
Disclaimer: This report has been prepared by and distributed by Accenture. This document is for
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without notice. July 2014 | 14-3878