Shortly after the recent news that Apple is revamping its iPhone to make it safer for corporate use comes a story by the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Worthen that sheds some light on why Apple may feel that such a step is necessary.

“Designed with the consumer in mind, the iPhone is less secure than business-oriented smart phones such as those from Nokia Corp. or Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry, according to IT professionals,” the article states. “But that isn’t stopping people from using the device for work-related tasks such as checking email, managing sales contacts and getting information about prospective clients.”

Many IT groups have banned the iPhone from their workplaces, complaining that there is no way to force employees to protect their iPhones with passwords and that they can’t erase sensitive corporate data from remote locations if the device is stolen or lost. Additionally, they say the iPhone doesn’t support the software many businesses use and that it only works on one cellular carrier’s network.

However, the article makes it clear that, in the end, the preference of the workers is likely to win out over the preference of America’s corporate IT administrators:

Whereas software vendors and other tech suppliers traditionally pitched their products to high-ranking executives and IT managers, some are now paying closer attention to the technologies workers actually use. Some vendors say that if employees make clear that they are going to embrace a particular device — with or without their IT department’s approval — then they will develop compatible products for it. Otherwise, they risk losing business to rivals.

“It’s clear to us that power is shifting to the users” and away from IT departments, says Mike de la Cruz, a vice president at business-software maker SAP AG. “So we’ve changed our strategy to focus on the users.”

Still, Apple is certainly smart enough to know that it’s in its best interests to alleviate the concerns of IT professionals.

Apple and its iPhone partner, AT&T Inc., are trying to make the iPhone more business-friendly, too. In January, AT&T began to allow iPhone purchases by corporate-account holders. Previously, the telephone company would bill iPhone charges only to individuals, and they would have to seek reimbursement from their companies. “We saw business customers clamoring for the iPhone” and wanted to make it easier for them to use the device, says an AT&T spokesperson.

What do you think? Will the explosive popularity of the iPhone translate into the business world? Should it? Do you have one, and if so, do you find yourself using it for work-related tasks? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts.

Today, we turn to a recent article from the Web Host Industry Review for an informative rundown of a new trend in the web hosting industry.

Those of you who follow the shared hosting marketplace have most likely already noticed this trend: Some of the market’s biggest players are merging. The most recent example is Website Pros’ acquisition of Web.com; a few months earlier, and even more significantly in terms of market share, Affinity Internet was acquired by Hostway.

These developments aren’t all that revolutionary given the customary ebb and flow of commerce. However, they do represent a relatively new trend in the web hosting industry, historically a very fractured and competitive marketplace.

Many times, these mergers are a result of a larger company that wants to branch out into new territory. Rather than spend tons of resources and revenue to get a new division up and running, a larger company simply acquires a smaller company that already specializes in providing the service.

So what does that mean to consumers? Oftentimes, it’s an advantage, since they’re given greater access to more developed products and services under one roof, rather than having to go from company to company in search of every piece of the puzzle that they’re looking for. The downside to corporate mergers is that it usually reduces the choices that consumers have, but with all the thousands of companies in the web hosting game, that’s not really an issue here.

In terms of the marketplace itself, it’s a trend worth watching. Who will be next? After the dust settles, will there be one uncontested web hosting champion, similar to the way that Google dominates the search engine field?

A much more detailed summary of this trend can be found in the latest print edition of the Web Host Industry Review. Aplus.Net’s own President and CEO, Gabriel Murphy, is quoted extensively in the article. Check it out here.