There are more than 200 new features in iOS 5. Here are five important ones for enterprises.

1. Wifi Updates, Sync, & Backup

Among the 200 or so new features in iOS 5, the PC-free era will have the most profound impact on mobile workers because it paves the way for broader enterprise adoption. IT administrators will be able to provision and activate devices without ever requiring that the iOS device be physically paired with a PC running iTunes.

No other iOS 5 feature will put iPad into the hands of more business users than this feature. Wirelessly updating everything from device firmware releases to apps will create added convenience for mobile business users. Syncing will soon be a forgotten concept; devices will magically be in sync all the time. This feature removes friction for mobile workers and those who rely on their devices for mobile agility.

The ability to keep an iPad up-to-date on extended business trips will expand functionality of the tablet. Giving workers the ability to avoid iTunes when syncing and performing backup processes should also have an indirect postive impact on productivity.

2. iMessage

Blackberry Messenger transformed the mobile instant communications topology for enterprise users. IT and finance professionals welcomed this solution with open arms because it sidestepped texting as a business connectivity solution that typically comes with additional costs.

iMessage is not a new or necessarily innovative idea, but it does accentuate iOS devices as a key enterprise platform for increasing collaborative connectedness. Users will be able to securely send messages directly to other workers with text, audio, video,  contacts, and images. Messaging sessions will now be able to start on an iPad, and seamlessly transition to an iPhone effortlessly. Furthermore, messages can be sent to individuals or groups of workers--without using SMS resources.

iMessage also works on Wifi as well as 3G and integrates with the new notifications features in iOS 5. Delivery receipts are also supported, an important aspect in some business use cases.

3. S/Mime Encrypted Email and RSA ID

Enterprise security professionals will welcome the advanced support for S/Mime email encryption. iOS4.x supports the use of digital certificates for authentication to VPNs and wireless networks. iOS 5 now provides the ability to send and receive digitally signed and encrypted email messages directly from the device.

This will be seen as a huge step by security-minded executives, widening the highway for iOS in the Enterprise, but not without added integration complexity.  Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access servers use an enterprise public key infrastructure that publishes encryption certificates to users’ global address list (GAL) entries. With this new iOS feature, sending encrypted email could not be easier.

For business users who do not connect to an Exchange server, S/Mime is also possible but requires some additional steps to set up. Another element of enterprise security is the additional support for SecurID in iOS 5. This two-factor security authentication is an approach that is widely used in enterprises; this addition to iOS 5 is likely to eliminate objections from CIOs concerning the use of iDevices for serious enterprise work that requires intense security controls.

4. Sync Exchange Tasks

Wireless synchronization of tasks was added in Exchange Server in 2003, but has not been consistently implemented by mobile devices to any substantial degree despite the possibilities that the plethora of mobile architectures offers. Tasks are commonly used in enterprise environments but has remained absent in iOS even though Palm’s WebOS and Symbian supported it. Today, Android doesn’t support Exchange task syncing, nor does Windows Phone 7.

iOS 5 will support wireless, over-the-air synchronization of Exchange tasks using ActiveSync. Enterprises that depend on Exchange tasks as the medium for getting things done, will rapidly embrace the opportunity to expand the use of tasks across iOS devices.

5. Rich Text Editing for Email and Browsers

iOS business users have gotten by without the ability to apply style and formatting to their email messages. They have used a patchwork of solutions that leverage apps which do support rich text formatting. By copying formatted text from other apps and pasting into an email message, business users have been able to send nicely styled messages with bold, lists, and embedded links.

In iOS 5, rich text editing is integrated into the email app. However, the real important advancet is how Mobile Safari embraces rich text editing controls in web applications. For web apps that support rich editing controls, iOS 4 blocks access to these services. In contrast, iOS 5 opens the door to allow iDevices to take advantage of these integrated editing capabilities. This means that web applications that provide content creation features will now become far more useful to iOS devices.

In enterprise work, this is a significant step forward that will allow business users to create more effective content with iPad.