Mobile Security

Keep on top of mobile work

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

If there is any message for the CIO this year, it's this: Get smarter faster. And one way to do that is to tap into existing tools that will help you comply with outside and inside forces for doing business. One of them is an auditing and archiving tool called Retain by GWAVA, which provides enterprise security and policy compliance products. This technology allows users on BlackBerry smartphones to archive text messages and phone logs.

As the need for archiving grows with new demands for eDiscovery and a plethora of information online, CIOs need all the help they can get to keep track of the Internet world and their employees. There's an added benefit, too. IT executives can view the database with the Retain Archive Viewer at their workstations. And they can obtain records using search criteria or choose to be alerted when keywords appear in text messages. It may be important to know what an employee is doing during the workday, especially if it impacts the daily and long term work. And it may be even more important if a company gets a subpoena for electronic information relating to any aspect of a job to make sure that electronic data can be retrieved.

For more on archiving mobile technology:
- Check out this InformationWeek Article

Verizon Wireless files FCC suit

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Having failed to sway regulators at the FCC, Verizon Wireless has moved their battle to the courts, where they have asked District of Columbia Circuit Judges to review open-access rules on about a third of the 62Mhz of spectrum in the 700 Mhz-band to be auctioned in January. The open access rules allow would wireless customers to use their handset devices from other carriers on whichever network uses the slice of spectrum in question. Fearing a stampede away from their service, Verizon characterized the open access rules as "arbitrary, capricious, unsupported by substantial evidence and otherwise contrary to law." Open access proponents characterized Verizon's legal maneuvers as sending "lawyers, FUD and money" to overturn the FCC's decision. Open-access fans say there is more of a need than ever to help foster new service provider options. Indeed, they were hoping that the FCC would also require the winning bidding to provide access to competitors at wholesale prices.

For all the details in this lawsuit:
- see the full text of the suit here
- read the article in InfoWorld

The threat within trumps external risks

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

While CIOs and CSOs are often concerned with the threat of viruses and other external sources of danger, a new study from the U.S. Computer Security Institute (CSI) concludes that company insiders should be a bigger focus in efforts to protect networks. CSI released its annual Computer Crime and Security Survey for 2007 in which 494 security professionals from U.S. corporations and government agencies were interviewed. Insider incidents were cited as having occurred by 59 percent of respondents, while only 52 percent said they had encountered a conventional virus in the previous year. Both insider and virus incidents have been falling since a high in the year 2000, but this is the first time insider incidents have been more reported than viruses. Other incidents on the rise include: laptop and mobile device theft and targeted attacks, especially those where organizations felt they had been specifically singled out for attack.

For more updates on security:
- see the article in InfoWorld

Private corporate networks obsolete?

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

By the end of the decade, private corporate networks will become obsolete relics of the early information age. And so will the security technologies and procedures that are used to protect them. Robert Whiteley and Natalie Lambert, both analysts with Forrester Research, believe that traditional security is gone and that as mobile networks and the Internet become the primary connectivity method for businesses, organizations will have to completely re-think how they secure key information assets.

CIOs and their IT security staff will have to shift the bulk of their focus away from perimeter-based strategies designed to keep bad things out, and will instead concentrate on things like data encryption, managing risk at the endpoint and having strict data access controls. In short, security professionals will have to assume that malware and security penetrations happen routinely and must plan accordingly.

To learn more about tomorrow's security woes:
- read the article in eWeek

The wild world of wireless

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

As wide-area wireless network technology becomes a standard element in just about every enterprise network these days, a growing number of companies are exploring new ways to wrench out more speed and quality out of their mobile links. Such technologies include Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) and other 3G technologies. These wireless apps are helping IT administrators move beyond simply offering email to implementing business applications like salesforce automation that are optimized for wireless delivery. The hope is that early adopters will secure a competitive edge or build better efficiencies into their business processes. The sales force of large companies is a natural beneficiary of these sorts of technologies and industries like pharmaceuticals, financial services, insurance and media are buying into the technology at a rapid pace. The technologies can help companies and their sales staff reach rural areas, and can bring an end to the search for hotspots that support your network configurations. Cost has also come down and in most cases is no longer an issue for CIOs. The market potential for this technology is huge: "There's probably around three million EV-DO cards out there today, and there's somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 million users of wireless," Tim Donahue, vice president of business marketing at Sprint, told Networkworld. "We are still on the front end of this curve."

For more on 3G and EV-DO:
- look for the article in Networkworld

Enterprise mobility goes mainstream

Tue, 15 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A global survey by Nokia and the Economist Intelligence Unit revealed a significant interest in mobile technology by CIOs as a means for reducing operating costs, improving workforce agility and collaboration, and attracting and retaining employees. The survey found that more than one-third of executives have at least 20 percent of their workforces mobile and that business mobility is now seen as broadly applicable to companies in many sectors. Those surveyed also cited the competitive benefits of business mobility solutions that included quicker response time to customers, improved collaboration within the enterprise and the ability to work with multiple partners and suppliers. The survey also found that companies are likely to make greater use of mobile communication in four key areas: remote network access, customer relationship management, collaborative applications and sales force automation.

Read more survey results:
- read the article at TechNewsWorld

ALSO:
- read this on enterprise mobility
- this on bolstering mobile security
- this on best practices in managing mobile devices
- and this on using mobile technology for application delivery

From tactical to strategic enterprise mobility

Thu, 10 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Enterprises struggle with the best way to imbue their companies with mobility in a strategic and effective way. To do so effectively, recognize mobility as the core of an overall IT strategy, rather than a silo application. When considering how to integrate mobility into your company's architecture, first consider management and security. It's paramount to have a good way to protect against unauthorized access and other security vulnerabilities, wipe data, disable access to lost or stolen devices, and encrypt data transmissions. Take an open approach that allows IT and line-of-business leaders to choose the best devices for their applications. Also, make sure that the units can work both online or offline to have "always available" access to business-critical applications, and make sure there is compatibility among mobile applications. After email, the first applications most businesses look to mobilize are field service and field force automation applications, as well as mobile helpdesks. Eventually, more mobile applications, like mobile IM, will become ubiquitous in enterprise environments to enable real-time collaboration and speed decision-making.

Read more about the mobile workforce:
- read the blog at InformationWeek

ALSO:
- read this on bolstering mobile security
- this on best practices in managing mobile devices
- this on smart mobile security
- and this on using mobile technology for secure application delivery

ALSO NOTED: Vista makes headway in the corporate world; Ten tips for technology management;

Wed, 09 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> Vista is gaining acceptance among U.S. IT managers. Article

> Ten tips for technology management. Article

> World CIOs talk about common transformation challenges. Article

> The CIO's guide to mobile security. White paper

> Updates to ITIL should benefit IT managers. Article

> Telecom expense management: the bane of the CIO's existence. Article

> Common-sense strategies for lowering TCO. Webcast

> Improve decision-making with spreadsheet optimization. White paper

> Keeping business partners in the loop. Article

And Finally… Careless emailing can cost executives their jobs. Article

Survey: Portable devices are still a major security threat

Tue, 08 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

A recent study conducted at this spring's InfoSec security conference in London found that many IT managers still view portable storage devices as a significant security threat. That includes all small portable devices, such as thumb drives and MP3 players. Security is compromised because the units are so small, and it's easy to download information quickly. Small devices also are more frequently lost; if sensitive data isn't encrypted on these devices, they are easily copied. Eighty percent of those surveyed said their organizations do not currently have effective measures in place to fight the unauthorized use of portable devices; 43.2 percent cited no control at all and only 8.6 percent have a total ban on portable devices.

Read more about the threat of mobile devices:
- read the article at InformationWeek

ALSO:
- read this on bolstering mobile security
- this on why mobile security is Job One
- this for best practices on managing mobile devices
- this on balancing mobile functionality with security
- and this on smart mobile security

Smart mobile security

Wed, 02 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Beyond the obvious ways of securing mobile technology and the corporate data that resides on it, some enterprises are going a step further, using a combination of smart card technology and public key infrastructure (PKI). Managed PKI services can help alleviate the administrative and financial burden for enterprises while delivering the level of security required. Combined with smart card technology, it's also an effective approach to securing remote access without having to incur infrastructure changes or high costs. And it comes in pocket-sized, fully encrypted devices. This technology, when combined with a managed PKI service, allows fully encrypted, secure access to enterprise networks from any location, without data ever leaving the boundaries of the corporate firewall. This level of security also allows much more freedom for remote functionality than ever before.

Read more about smart mobile security:
- read the article at CIO Canada

ALSO:
- read this on bolstering mobile security
- this on why mobile security is Job One
- this for best practices in managing mobile devices
- this on why a mobile security effort is a mandate
- this on balancing mobile functionality with security
- and this for mobile security tools for SMBs