How secure is Mobile Device Management anyway?

Objective-C HookingResearchers have successfully breached the Good Technology container. MDM software can only be as secure as the underlying operating system.


As the adoption of smartphones and tablets grows exponentially, one of the biggest challenges facing corporate IT organizations is not the threat of losing the device – likely owned by the employee – but the threat of a targeted attack stealing sensitive corporate data stored on these mobile devices. As a first line of defense, an increasing number of companies rely on Mobile Device Management software and Secure Container solutions to secure and manage corporate data accessed from these mobile devices. However, a recent analysis conducted by Lacoon Mobile Security – presented a few weeks ago at the BlackHat conference in Amsterdam – shows that the leading secure container solution Good Technology can be breached and corporate email stolen from Apple iOS and Android devices.

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BYOD – The Benefits [VIDEO]

cesare-garlati-financial-impact-of-byod.3IT strategists and commentators alike have been talking about the cost impacts and benefits of the Consumerization of IT for years. However, no-one seems to agree on what’s actually going on out there from a financial perspective. Why? Because no one has managed to formulate an effective framework for measuring the financial impact of consumer-grade technology on the enterprise. IT managers are effectively flying blind with only a vague notion of what to measure and how to measure it.

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BYOD – The Hidden Costs [VIDEO]

cesare-garlati-financial-impact-of-byod.2Executives and IT leaders are struggling to understand the true costs and benefits of IT consumerization and it’s not difficult to see why. Even a cursory Google search on the subject throws up as many questions as it does conflicting answers. The reason is that no comprehensive research has been conducted into the financial impact of such programs before.

That’s why Trend Micro recently decided to take the bull by the horns and commission Forrester Consulting to conduct a rigorous, scientific study – interviewing over 200 IT leaders in the US, UK, France, and Germany. With the results we have begun to build an accurate picture for the first time of what organizations are measuring in their BYOD programs and the cost impacts, in order that IT leaders can go away and begin to formulate for themselves an effective cost benefit analysis.

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BYOD: You can’t manage what you don’t measure [VIDEO]

cesare-garlati-financial-impact-of-byod.1The Consumerization of IT is a trend even the most parochial IT manager has surely heard of by now. It’s sweeping through enterprises across the planet with no regard for legacy, tradition or order and can be seen as either the most exciting or terrifying thing to happen to IT in the past decade, depending on where you stand.

For many IT managers, unfortunately, the prevailing attitude is still “why should I allow it?”. They are clinging on to the old paradigm whereby IT controlled and dictated the purchasing and ongoing management of technology used by employees. This attitude just will not stand any longer – consumerization is happening, and it needs to be managed in as financially efficient a manner as possible.

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The Financial Impact of Consumerization – Does BYOD make business sense?

enterprises-deploy-many-types-of-byod-programs-378x284One of the less understood aspects of Consumerization is its financial impact on the business. Is your BYOD program in the money?


Studies* show that an increasing number of organizations allow their employees to use personal devices to connect to corporate networks and data for work related activities – the so called Bring Your Own Device phenomenon. However, a recent study conducted by Forrester Reserach reveals that only a few companies measure the actual financial impact of this new IT model and that even fewer have a clear sense of whether Consumerization actually makes good business sense.

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What’s in a Jelly Bean: is Android 4.1 going to help with BYOD?

Google recently announced Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ at its I/O conference in San Francisco. The latest flavor of the world’s #1 mobile OS promises better user experience and sexier UI. But does it really make any easier for IT to secure and manage those personal devices used for work?

Generally speaking, 4.1 is an incremental release that takes Android one step closer to Apple iOS, which has been in the market for 5 years now. From a corporate IT perspective, nothing is dramatically different or better.

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BYOD – Bring Your Own Device

Where employees once enquired about private medical cover and company cars, now they may ask to work on their own iPhone or Android. It’s a perk of the job that can boost productivity, but implement your BYOD policy incorrectly (or even pretend it’s not happening) and it could cost you dear, say our experts

Post based on my interview* with Richard Dunnett of Director Magazine

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Jailbreaking BYOD Control. Is Apple ready for enterprise primetime?

Mobile World Congress 2012

Mobile World Congress 2012

Consumerization is happening now, but many IT departments simply aren’t prepared to deal with the new challenges and complexities it entails. With IT managers increasingly urged by CEOs to stop saying ‘no’ and start supporting consumer tools, they need to reappraise their traditional approach. Put simply, IT needs flexible standards – they can’t say no but neither can they say yes to everyone.

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Mobility Management and Security. A Customer Panel. Part Two.

Learn from a panel of industry peers the solutions and the best practices that have turned consumer mobile technology into a competitive advantage for their companies.

This is Part Two of the post based on the panel that I moderated at the IDC mobileNext Forum 2011 in San Francisco. Click here for Part One.

Eric Erickson
VP Information Systems
Liberty First Credit Union

Bill Troyak
Team Leader End User Devices
Navistar

Jeff Jackson
Partner
Acumen Technologies

Going back to the three step approach to consumerization, the last step is to deploy new security and management tools to enable these new models. It’s not just about new platforms. Traditional System Management tools don’t really cut anymore. Id love to know more about your experience and your learning with regard to the necessary new infrastructure.

Eric:  Well, being a financial institution, it’s critical for us to make sure our data is secure.

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Mobility Management and Security. A Customer Panel.

Learn from a panel of industry peers the solutions and the best practices that have turned consumer mobile technology into a competitive advantage for their companies.

This post is based on the recording of the panel that I moderated at the IDC mobileNext Forum in December 2011 in San Francisco.

Eric Erickson
VP Information Systems
Liberty First Credit Union

Bill Troyak
Team Leader End User Devices
Navistar

Jeff Jackson
Partner
Acumen Technologies

I’d like to start by asking the panelists to briefly introduce themselves and the size and scope of their BYOD programs.

Eric: My name is Eric Erickson. I have been at Liberty First Credit Union for seven years as the VP of Information Systems and in the technology field for almost 25 years, 17 of those years with financial institutions. Our mission is to provide security for our members and provide our staff with the tools that they need to be able to work with the members to be able to get their accounts opened in a timely fashion or to get the documents that they need. We are looking to the mobile device to be able to move beyond our physical location so that we can go out to the community and work with the members where it’s convenient for them.

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