Burlington, Mass-based Astaro said iPhone users can now use two varieties of the road warrior virtual private network (VPN) included in all its Security Gateway appliances, to securely connect their iPhone to their home and business networks, allowing users to work as if they are inside their network.

Until now, concerns over the iPhone’s security, as well as a lack of connectivity, have been some of the factors preventing widespread adoption of the device in the business world.

A recent Pyxis Mobile survey of financial firms revealed that while most of those polled said they prefer the iPhone’s interface compared to other devices such as the BlackBerry, 92% said they felt security on the iPhone would have to be improved before they decided to use it at a company level.

In addition, 83% stated that it is not the preferred device for business applications.

Gert Hansen, Chief Security Architect and co-founder of Astaro, says Astaro’s VPN compatibility now makes the iPhone “more than just a cool new gadget to show off. It turns the iPhone into a real business tool, albeit a very stylish one."

“As an Apple iPhone user myself, we have made it extremely easy to access networks protected by Astaro Security Gateway," Hansen added.

Astaro has created a configuration guide providing step-by-step instructions on how to configure Apple’s iPhone and Astaro Security Gateway VPN settings.