CBS News reports that the Iphone used by alleged San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook could have been unlocked by using mobile device management (MDM) software that the county purchased but never used. Had the software been installed, the FBI could have easily unlocked the iPhone remotely and gathered all the information stored on the device. The phone was actually owned by the county and provided to Farook, who served the county as a public health department inspector.

The iPhone in question is the iPhone 5C, released in September 2013 as a colorful-but-cheaper version of the meatier iPhone 5s. Most of its innards are similar to the older iPhone 5, meaning it doesn’t provide the Touch ID feature offered in the newer models. As the report points out, because the iPhone 5C lacks this technology, the FBI can’t unlock the device using the dead suspect’s thumbprint.

The FBI, along with San Bernardino county officials, reset the iPhone’s iCloud password after the government was able to acquire the available device backups. Unfortunately, the last backup took place on October 19, a few months before the shootings. Thus by resetting the password, the FBI is unable to gain access to any other backups that could have been created later.

Essentially, the FBI wants a tool to bypass the iPhone security feature that will wipe the device if the passkey is entered incorrectly 10 times. If this feature could be bypassed, then the FBI could use a technique called “brute force” to enter an unlimited number of passcode combinations.

Mobile device management software is typically used in a corporate or government environment. It’s installed on work-issued smartphones and tablets by IT administrators to manage, monitor, and secure mobile devices connected to the network. Thus, administrators can perform remote over-the-air updates, remote device wipes, track the device’s physical location, control specific settings, and more.

John Dickson of security consultancy Denim Group Ltd. told CBS News that the “big question going forward” is why Farook had access to an “uncontrolled device” in the first place. As the report points out, MDM services can cost as little as $4 per month per phone. The whole public dispute between Apple and the FBI could have been avoided had the county installed the purchased MDM software.

Last week, Apple was ordered to provide the FBI with software that would allow the agency to gain access to the shooter’s phone. The FBI implies it would be a simple tool that would be used on that particular phone, but Apple CEO Tim Cook says it would be an entirely new operating system void of specific security features that would essentially provide a back door to iOS. Apple indicates that it has the means to create such a tool but is reluctant to do so.

“The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor,” Tim Cook said in an open letter. “And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.”

Cook added that Apple is fighting the FBI’s demands “with the deepest respect for American democracy,” but creating such a “tool” would be wrong. He added that everyone needs to take a step back and “consider the implications.”