Category Archives: Mobile Device Management
Monday, January 9, 2012
Article published in Wireless Business & Technology: 2012 is shaping up to be a challenging year for CIOs as they figure out how to safely embrace the slew of mobile devices entering their networks. Smartphones and tablets are seriously threatening the IT status quo, and CIOs who fail to adapt and get ahead of this technological upheaval risk getting pink slips and seeing themselves replaced by more agile colleagues. Clearly, 2012 is the year that organizations of all shapes and sizes must come to terms with their mobile problem. Here are five serious mobile challenges CIOs will have to deal with in 2012… http://wireless.sys-con.com/node/2118812 _____________ There is so much happening with mobility in the enterprise, and it’s happening so quickly. We … Continue reading »
Tags: byod, cost savings, mobile device management, mobile security
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
RIM announced yesterday that they are getting closer to launching Mobile Fusion, an extension of their Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) software that includes support for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. It’s currently in beta testing, and their target release date is the end of March, 2012. The Mobile Device Management software category has gotten crowded, with dozens of specialized vendors. Recently, IBM and Google also announced MDM offerings. Of course, RIM has the longest history of providing security and management software via their BES software, albeit only for their own Blackberry handsets. RIM originally announced plans to offer support for Apple and Android devices earlier this spring, shortly after acquiring the German MDM firm, ubitexx. Initial demonstrations of the ubitexx/RIM product … Continue reading »
Tags: mdm vendors, mobile device management
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Amazon Kindle Fire was released this week with a record-setting one million plus preordered tablets being shipped. Reviews of the device have been lukewarm with many reviewers pointing to the less than powerful 1Ghz processor. From an enterprise point of view the Fire isn’t really important, at least not yet. None of the major MDM providers offer an agent designed to work with the modified version of Android 2.2 that powers the tablet. It is rumored that Amazon is planning to update the Fire OS to make use of Android 2.3 or maybe even 3.0 sometime in the near future. With the Fire expected to be a popular gift this holiday season, we could see pressure on the enterprise … Continue reading »
Tags: android, mdm vendors
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
IBM has announced that it will be entering the Mobile Device Management ring with the introduction of an MDM service aimed at enterprises “embracing employees bringing their own devices.” IBM has partnered with Juniper Networks to provide this cloud-based service, which is expected to be offered at a price of $3-$10 per device. In its press release, IBM makes specific mention of their intention to include the capability of “protecting against spyware and viruses” on the mobile devices under management. Such functionality could be a differentiator in the MDM space. It will be interesting to see how this product is able to accomplish something not typically mentioned in other MDM products. Companies that are most likely to use the IBM MDM service … Continue reading »
Tags: mdm vendors, mobile device management, mobile security
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Google has recently announced plans to offer a Mobile Device Management (MDM) type of service within the Google App suite. This service will allow the basic management and policy enforcement of corporate iOS, Android and Windows Mobile devices. It’s too early to say how well the functionality and features compare to established MDM vendors. Google has created many applications and services over the years. Some do very well, others stumble along, and still others are eventually pulled. Similar to many other MDM providers, this service will connect to devices making use of the standard ActiveSync protocol. For more information check out this article over at InformationWeek. This service is only useful to companies already using Google Apps. While this is … Continue reading »
Tags: android, google, mdm vendors, mobile device management, mobile security
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Friday, October 21, 2011
9to5Mac has pointed out a flaw in the locking feature of the iPad 2. Essentially, a malicious person could circumvent the passcode locking mechanism by holding down the power button while closing and then opening the smart cover and then swiping the cancel button. This has been confirmed for devices running the new iOS 5 but may affect earlier versions as well. This is particularly concerning to enterprises that rely on the use of a passcode to protect and encrypt corporate data on iOS devices. Physical access to a lost device would be all that is needed to access data protected in this way. This kind of vulnerability highlights the usefulness of Mobile Device Management software, which allows devices that … Continue reading »
Tags: ipad, mobile device management, mobile security
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
You may have heard the terms “jailbroken” or “rooted” in relation to Apple iOS and Google Android devices. This is the concept of altering the device operating system for the purposes of removing or circumventing restrictions. The OS’ which power smartphones and tablets are specifically designed to be restrictive. There are free software packages available that can remove these restrictions. There are several reasons that a user might want to compromise the OS of their device. A few examples include: install software that has not been approved or has not been made available by the manufacturer/carrier augment or create additional operating system features install commercial software without purchasing licences for that software freely migrate from one carrier to another repurpose … Continue reading »
Tags: mobile device management, mobile security
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Sunday, September 25, 2011
Let me be the first to say, congratulations to your important person on his/her new toy. Now how do you make sure he/she has access to his corporate email, calendar, etc? More importantly, how do you secure that corporate data? If your organization is like most corporations you are probably using Microsoft Exchange to provide access to corporate email, calendar, and contact lists though the use of a service known as ActiveSync. The good news is that newer versions of iOS and Android natively support ActiveSync. The bad news is that Exchange/ActiveSync doesn’t do much to secure that corporate data once it gets to the mobile device. If your important person loses the device, that corporate data is left unprotected. … Continue reading »
Tags: ios, ipad, mobile device management, mobile security
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
Many people have been using the term “mobile device management” in different ways, leading to someconfusion. Since the literal words imply that it’s about managing mobile devices, this could be anythingand everything from procurement, invoice management, tech support, or more. However, the mobile industry has standardized on “Mobile Device Management” or “MDM” to describea class of software products designed to help organizations remotely manage smartphones and tablets. Practically speaking, MDM software is used to ensure mobile devices, primarily those intended for use inthe consumer market, are being used efficiently and appropriately within the enterprise environment. Until recently, Blackberries have been the standard in for enterprise use because.they provide a higherlevel of security and control. In conjunction with a Blackberry Enterprise … Continue reading »
Tags: mobile device management, mobile security
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