device management

HSBC considers getting 200,000 iPhones

Paul Mah — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:35:21 -0400

HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer apparently told ZDNet.com.au this week that, "We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective...and when I say that, I mean globally." Adopting the iPhone would mean HSBC would have to ditch the currently deployed BlackBerry smartphones, which could result in an order of up to 200,000 iPhones.

While it is true that the iPhone 3G implemented features that makes it more attractive to the enterprise, these pale in comparison with the features already offered on RIM's BlackBerry platform. Moreover, the iPhone only implements a reduced set of Microsoft's push mail and device management features. This simply does not stack up to any Windows Mobile 6.0 devices on the market.

With no advantage other than aesthetics, I suppose, I can't help but think of it as nothing more than an ill-advised decision.

To read up more about this story:
- check out this BusinessWeek article

IBM and Cisco get cozier in telecom, large enterprise space

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Building on a strategic alliance first announced in 1999, IBM and Cisco Systems plan to release a jointly developed offering called the Cisco Assurance Management Solution, which integrates Cisco's Active Network Abstraction (ANA) device management and mediation technology with IBM's Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and Netcool/Precision management software, Alan Ganek, chief technology officer at IBM Tivoli Software told CIO magazine. The companies expect the product to gain traction among telecom carriers and large enterprises looking for a better way to manage heterogeneous networks. "IBM's overall partnership with Cisco has largely been around the services area," Ganek said. "This new one really gets into our development teams in the software world." The first version of Cisco Assurance Management Solution will features network fault monitoring, trouble isolation and real-time service-level event management.

For the full story:
- see CIO for this article

Don't discount physical security

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Data security gets all the headlines--hackers find a way to infiltrate a major retailer, stealing personal information, for example. But without old-fashioned physical security--yes, we're talking about locks and security guards here--companies could be in the same compromising position. Without good physical security, thieves can enter the premises and steal hard drives or tapes with sensitive information on them. One problem is that in many companies, information security and physical security teams are entirely separated, with different reporting structures and unrelated budgets. Also, centralized device management is next to impossible with physical security, since some physical controls, such as door locks, electronic devices, such as sensors or surveillance cameras, and standalone technologies have their own control mechanisms. But physical security devices based on IP technologies are becoming available, intelligent vision systems that record, store and distribute digital video images from surveillance systems over any communications network. This enables multiple network users to monitor banks of images from multiple cameras at distributed locations in real time. It's time for holistic risk management.

To learn about the benefits of holistic risk management:
- read the article at IT-Director.com

Managing corporate mobility

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:01:36 -0400

To create a comprehensive mobility plan for your organization, start by creating an internal wireless policy. Then request a copy of your monthly billing data from the carrier in electronic form and use it to analyze data. Also, a split liability policy, where employees buy their own devices and wireless plans and submit bills for business use, isn't the best way for a company to manage wireless programs, because it's difficult to administer and more costly for the company. And on the security front, if employees own their own devices, they can take company information with them when they leave the company. Finally, when forming a device management policy, make sure it identifies who has what and with which carrier, controls procurement and billing, provides end user support and includes strategic management.

Learn more about managing corporate mobility:
- read the blog at InformationWeek

ALSO:
- read this on the importance of mobile security
- this on best practices in managing mobile devices
- and this on choosing the right device for mobile workers