The MaaS360 Blog

How MDM Makes IT Mobility’s Super Man

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:52:46 +0000

Faster than a speeding bullet, mobile devices have infiltrated ITs fortress of technology procurement solitude. Unlike most villains to IT, this is one with a noble pursuit. Users aren’t trying to overthrow ITs sovereignty as part of some nefarious scheme, they are merely trying to get more work done with the technology they are most comfortable with. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) offers untold potential for organizations, and IT can serve this new nirvana of productivity assuming they bring the right super powers to the battle.

Here’s a short list of the super powers mobile device management (MDM) grants IT.

Here’s a short list of the super powers mobile device management (MDM) grants IT.

X-Ray Vision: Visibility is step one. After all, you can’t protect or manage that which you can’t see. With MDM you get x-ray level granularity into the devices connecting to email servers, Wi-Fi and other corporate resources. You can also see how many mobile devices have been jailbroken or rooted to avoid unwanted infiltration of malware. Apps can be easily identified in no time as well from their own command console. Last, but certainly not least, with MDM devices can be found no matter where in the world they were left behind.

Super Speed to Save the Day: With Over-the-Air enrollment, wiping, policy pushes and App and content distribution IT can enable the mobility needs of end-users in nanoseconds instead of hours.

Super Strength for Super Security: The only way to stop the locomotive strength of mobility threats is to be armed with more powerful controls. Enforcing standardized passcodes for all devices and OS types is certainly step one, but with MDM you get policies to hold back other juggernauts of mobility issues like malicious apps, overages and device features like the camera.

Leap to the Top of Ivory Towers in a Single Bound: There’s still some C-Suite scrutiny when it comes to mobility. ROI is the word of the day when the board meets in their tower in the sky. With MDM in place you can use things like mobile expense management and other super reports to leap into the conversation of mobility’s costs, but also infinite benefits.

Support Secret Identities: We all have two lives, work and home. More and more mobile devices are becoming a reflection of this dual-persona. Email, apps and content we access on our devices change drastically when the clock strikes 5:00. Find an MDM that can offer a clear separation of these two lives so the company’s Vice-President doesn’t get a copy of the little league schedule and the little league doesn’t receive the latest financial forecasts.

iOS7 – Enterprise Readier?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:44:53 +0000

The dust has settled from Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) and now begins the waiting game…sort of. As with any new OS release, businesses can only wait so long to see how new feature sets will and will not mesh with corporate systems.

Generally consumers are the ones to salivate at the newest iOS enhancements, but this conference delivered welcome news to help further cement Apple’s dominance in enterprise adoption. Apple’s “walled garden” and lack of fragmentation has made it the clear favorite of IT administrators especially when discussing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, but there’s always room for improvement.

Will iOS7 deliver? For now we can only speculate, but the following morsels seem very promising.

From the Apple Website

“iOS 7 includes many new features designed to make it easier for businesses to put iOS devices in the hands of employees. Features such as better protection of work and personal data, management of app licenses, seamless enrollment in Mobile Device Management, wireless app configuration, enterprise single sign-on support, and default data protection for third-party apps.”

So let’s break these down (at least as much as we can without veering into reckless speculation).

Better Protection of Work and Personal Data: Will dual-persona or the infamous container become a standard element of the OS? It’s not a guarantee, but it certainly seems a possibility. What will be interesting to see is how many businesses will use this feature (assuming it’s a choice). Dual-personas aren’t for everyone despite the enormous security benefits. Sometimes “native” is enough for smaller businesses or those outside the scrutiny of regulatory concern.

Management of App Licenses: Apps from Apple are a huge concern for businesses. For the past few years IT admins have been looking to separate the App license from the individual iTunes account and place them under a comprehensive corporate umbrella. iOS7 very well may deliver a true Volume Purchase Program.

Seamless Enrollment in Mobile Device Management: I might be biased, but the enrollment process isn’t too arduous right now. The main upgrade on this front would be to make the “Apple Cert” process that’s needed to enroll a device in MDM a little more transparent for novices to enterprise mobility management.

Wireless App Configuration: No one seems to really know what this one means.

Enterprise Single Sign-On Support: A staple of the desktop environment for years now, SSO has saved users millions of unnecessary keystrokes. Now, it’s time to give thumbs a rest.

Default Data Protection for Third Party Apps: This is another one that will need some more explanation. Is it auto-backing data to iCloud, will passwords be required for access into every App. Whatever it ends up being let’s hope it adds much needed App security without hindering the user experience people have come to love on their iPhones and iPads.

There is still much to learn about each of these new features, but it appears that the security and operational efficiencies offered by Mobile Device Management will not be going anywhere. Smart organizations will look for MDM vendors offering same day release support of iOS7 so IT admins can be fully prepared when users wake-up one morning with the request to upgrade from iOS6.

Will iOS7 deliver? For now we can only speculate, but the following morsels seem very promising.

From the Apple Website

So let’s break these down (at least as much as we can without veering into reckless speculation).

Better Protection of Work and Personal Data: Will dual-persona or the infamous container become a standard element of the OS? It’s not a guarantee, but it certainly seems a possibility. What will be interesting to see is how many businesses will use this feature (assuming it’s a choice). Dual-personas aren’t for everyone despite the enormous security benefits. Sometimes “native” is enough for smaller businesses or those outside the scrutiny of regulatory concern.

Management of App Licenses: Apps from Apple are a huge concern for businesses. For the past few years IT admins have been looking to separate the App license from the individual iTunes account and place them under a comprehensive corporate umbrella. iOS7 very well may deliver a true Volume Purchase Program.

Seamless Enrollment in Mobile Device Management (MDM): I might be biased, but the enrollment process isn’t too arduous right now. The main upgrade on this front would be to make the “Apple Cert” process that’s needed to enroll a device in MDM a little more transparent for novices to enterprise mobility management.

Wireless App Configuration: No one seems to really know what this one means.

Enterprise Single Sign-On Support: A staple of the desktop environment for years now, SSO has saved users millions of unnecessary keystrokes. Now, it’s time to give thumbs a rest.

Default Data Protection for Third Party Apps: This is another one that will need some more explanation. Is it auto-backing data to iCloud, will passwords be required for access into every App. Whatever it ends up being let’s hope it adds much needed App security without hindering the user experience people have come to love on their iPhones and iPads.

67% of SMB’s Mobile, but Not BYOD Ready

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:27:44 +0000

In recent years, a variety of studies have indicated that small business owners are largely failing to implement the necessary security standards to ensure the integrity of data and networks.

Bring your own device (BYOD), which has become widely popular among businesses of all sizes, represents a major opportunity to drive productivity, though also a serious risk when not controlled. Enterprise mobility management solutions can help companies strike a balance between security and productivity, while cloud-based options offer the affordability and scalability essential for cost control in a small business environment.

SMBs Embrace But Don’t Protect BYOD

A recent survey, sponsored by Fiberlink, discussed how a growing majority of small businesses have already started to allow employees to use their personal smartphones, tablets and computers for work functions. Though nearly two-thirds of SMB IT professionals who responded to the survey said they have implemented a policy or initiative, only 37 percent use, or plan to use mobile device management (MDM) solutions.

What's more, 33 percent of the respondents said that their policies work well for some devices, but not others.

This represents a major risk to both productivity and security, though small business decision-makers have not yet seemed to heed the call for protection and management. For example, the survey found that 49 percent of respondents who had not yet implemented MDM did not do so because they didn't see any significant threats facing their business without the solutions.

This is an egregiously false assumption. CNN recently asserted that small businesses have become the easiest prey for cyber criminals. The news provider suggested that entrepreneurs often do not have enough money to hire large IT security departments, allowing hackers and phishers across the globe to focus their efforts on this market in the form of SMS messages and other nefarious activities usually involving Apps.

In recent years, a variety of studies have indicated that small business owners are largely failing to implement the necessary security standards to ensure the integrity of data and networks.

SMBs Embrace but Don’t Protect BYOD

SMBs Embrace But Don’t Protect BYOD

What's more, 33 percent of the respondents said that their policies work well for some devices, but not others.

However, small business owners can now access a variety of affordable and effective tools for BYOD, especially cloud-based MDM. SMB’s need to mitigate risk today, rather than remediate risk after the first attack. In recent years, a variety of studies have indicated that small business owners are largely failing to implement the necessary security standards to ensure the integrity of data and networks.

UK! BYOD is Coming! BYOD is Coming!

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:42:18 +0000

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption has shown a clear rise in direct proportion with the bandwidth capabilities of smartphones and tablets. Now, with the impending mass release of 4G in the UK, businesses can expect the same promise as their American counterparts and IT administrators can start strategizing on mitigating the perils.

Since the outset of bring your own device (BYOD), experts have stressed the importance of creating information governance policies that balance user freedom and corporate security. Though this was initially a major challenge for most firms, especially when launching mobility strategies, advances in management technology have improved the ability to create optimal BYOD policies.

The latest enterprise mobility management suites enable the most efficient and effective BYOD oversight processes. By implementing mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) solutions, enterprises can streamline the process of information governance and employee support for IT personnel.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption has shown a clear rise in direct proportion with the bandwidth capabilities of smartphones and tablets. Now, with the impending mass release of 4G in the United Kingdom, businesses can expect the same promises in productivity as their American counterparts as IT administrators must start strategizing on mitigating the perils.

Since the outset of BYOD, experts have stressed the importance of creating information governance policies that balance user freedom and corporate security. Though this was initially a major challenge for most firms, especially when launching mobility strategies, advances in management technology have improved the ability to create optimal BYOD policies.

UK Firms Strive for BYOD Optimization

ZDNet recently reported that the increased freedoms being allotted to employees at many firms in the United Kingdom has led to a greater need for IT oversight. Stressing the importance of empowering IT professionals with the tools they need to adequately secure and support employee-owned smartphones and tablets, the source stated that these departments should also be involved in staff member education.

While having BYOD policies in place, backed by MDM and MAM solutions, is essential, the misuse of personal devices among employees remains a persistent threat. According to the news provider, companies should work to get IT departments more involved in BYOD training for all members of staff who participate in the programs, as knowledge of best-practices is invaluable.

This is part of a larger trend in IT department responsibilities, as experts have called for these professionals to move out of their often segmented relationships with the business and toward a fully accessible support desk. ZDNet added that MDM is the crux of any BYOD strategy, as IT professionals will simply be unable to manage, secure and support all smartphones and tablets without this solution.

With 4G just around the corner in the UK, MDM will simply be the next logical step.

Far Beyond Simple MDM

The best management solutions often lead to the most successful strategies in mobility and virtually every other corporate strategy. Enterprises should consider using MaaS360 for all MDM, MAM and other mobility management needs, as this cloud-based suite continues to be a leader in the market. Quite recently, they once again secured a seat in the leader’s quadrant from Gartner for Mobile Device Management software. The UK is fortunate; they merely need to look to their American counterparts to see BYOD in action. Now, they need to heed those process lessons and improve upon them.

Google Play Ends Digital Recess for Education

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:56:57 +0000

Tablets and applications are changing the teacher to student dynamic one swipe at a time. For the past few years educators have been leveraging the interactivity and real-time analytics offered by these new tools to improve student engagement and foster collaboration.

Keeping on with the trend of teaching with tablets, Google has dedicated a section of its app store, Google Play for the education industry. The key goal of its Playbook offering is to make it easy for students and teachers in high schools, colleges and universities to discover books and applications of their choice from a single source within the vast Google Play network. Using Google+ circles, IT admins can then distribute the applications and content across different Android devices.

Additionally, the Google Book platform allows users to upload EPUB and PDF documents, up to 50 MB, to the cloud/Google Drive from any computer and later read on any web browser on any Android device. The cloud model delivers a pleasing and streamlined reading experience by allowing readers to pick up from where they left.

Now, IT support for education must now do some learning of their own to manage these wonderful new tools.

Now, IT support for education must do some learning of their own to manage these wonderful new tools.

Welcome to the Digital Learning Era IT!

Just as educators are now trading their archaic teaching methodologies for digital learning strategies like flipped classrooms and tablet teaching, IT must perform a similar paradigm shift. Even if a school district shuns the cost savings of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), smartphones and tablets still require a whole new set of rules.

As mobile technology tethers to students’ and teachers’ hands, IT considerations must include:

Mobility as a Fundamental IT Strategy: As digital learning strives to become the crux of education system across continents, mobile security solutions like mobile device management (MDM) are no longer nice to have, but a mandatory security and efficiency practice. Though the Google Play for education foray has made the dream of digital learning a reality, the open source platform is vulnerable to foreign attacks and data vulnerabilities. Thus, IT admins need mobile security solutions that:

Deliver multi-device and multi-platform support to address the demands of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) student and educator community.
Empower them to close security loop holes by defining smart and multiple mobile device policies.
Easily scale into an organizations existing infrastructure while promising a recurring ROI and low maintenance.
Allow them to push profiles and network configurations across different devices floating around the campus.
Curtail student distractions, like Facebook, while on-campus.

Private App Stores: Mobile applications are the crux of content consumption in digital education. Thus, administrators must include mobile application management (MAM) solutions in their mobile security strategy for:

Safe, easy, rapid and organized content distribution and app deployment. Though Google and Apple have their own independent app and content distribution tool, including a third party tool that executes and manages the process, across different operating systems, under a single umbrella, makes app management and content distribution streamlined and less tedious.
Consolidated view and inventory of the mobile app ecosystem from a single centralized and secured location.
Ensuring that the apps are Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA) and Application Privacy, Protection and Security (APPS) compliant. While maintaining digital privacy is challenging, IT must ensure that rogue apps especially ones stealing personal info are off devices.

Cloud Storage and Back-Up Services: Google’s Book platform and Apple's iOS platform both utilize cloud services for syncing and backing up data. As the mobile community embraces these services, IT admins must regulate what kind of data flows into the cloud. IT must define their data regulation mobile policies by studying the needs of different user groups and student communities. Since cloud plays an influential role in the surge of the smartphone and tablet revolution, educational institutions must pick mobile security vendors that understand cloud security; vulnerabilities associated with the data in the cloud and are accredited by different cloud forums like Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).

Dual Persona Technologies: Dual persona technologies are becoming popular among enterprise IT as it delivers corporate and personal data on a device. As the trend of digital learning gains momentum, organization owned or personnel owned (BYOD) devices must be powered with dual persona technologies to create a trusted, secured and closed work place while respecting and maintaining employee privacy.

There’s no one answer when it comes to managing devices, apps and content; frankly, every school district will have different needs. However, this list serves as at least part of the answer for IT as they look for the same secure management of smartphones and tablets as they have with other systems in the past.

Google Glass – Spare the Hate and Spoil the Promise

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:16:16 +0000

It’s human nature to fear the unknown. While a few brave pioneers will valiantly traverse unchartered waters, as a whole our species will pick up pitchforks versus embracing that which is new and different. Case in point; Google Glass. The wearers already have derogatory terms in place, Tumblr sites are already showcasing demographic disparities in its wearers, and everyone has written off this moonshot project before it has even hit the Launchpad. I’m offering a different answer. Even if Google Glass sputters before it gets out the door; let’s look at the elements of this baby before we toss it out with the bathwater.

When Google Glass started hitting the streets recently, the Internet responded as it often does. Fear, chiding and a slew of puns have already become some of the top searches for life’s little Heads-up-Display (HUD). I won’t say Google Glass is perfect, but show me any pioneering technology that hits a homerun on the first pitch? It took a few Apollo flights to get to the moon. The PC didn’t make it to every desk until long after its inception, and despite the information sharing benefits of social media there is still a wide world of naysayers who simply find it a waste of time. Sure Google Glass has some problems in functionality and design, but that’s today. Instead of simply writing off this technology I would like to play an optimistic game of “what if” to imagine what Google Glass could be.

Google Glass - Our new PC, Not Frankenstein

Data Hands Free, for Every Industry

No matter how slick the new iOS 7 interface looks or how gargantuan Samsung makes its next Android devices; there is still that persnickety problem of having to actually hold the device and avert your eye focus to look at the screen. This archaic way of getting information takes away a necessary appendage (possibly two depending on how small your hands are and how big your smartphone is) and can be a frustrating exercise in swipe sizing information so it can be seen clearly.

Yes, Google Glass has induced a few headaches, but it’s hard to deny that this perfect positioning of all life’s information will let you keep your hands free for say:

Healthcare: Imagine a world where a surgeon can keep their eye on the insides of the patient, but with a quick glance up get all vitals and any research needed to make things run smoother. I’m not condoning that anyone should multi-task during pivotal life moments, but the “dual-screen” approach to information gathering has already proven beneficial.
Manufacturing: Real-time information from Supply Chain Management systems have already replaced the human eye for inventory control and productivity efficiencies. With Google Glass though, a floor manager can keep their eyes on the actual floor and dashboards at the same time allowing for a perfect integration of real-time reaction to any data streaming in from information systems.
Education: Teachers have always wanted eyes in the back of their heads, but with Google Glass you omit the need to turn around. Currently teachers are using iPads and Android tablets to obliterate the need for a chalkboard with Educational Apps that deliver problems directly to students’ devices. In the Google Glass world the teacher won’t even have to look down to distribute the geometric equation or administer a poll about the Presidents. Answers will come back in real-time and will ensure full participation – even from the kids trying to hide in the back of the room.

IT - Google Glass’ First Frontier

All of this prognosticating will take time. Not a lot of time, but certainly a few years since Glass is still in its Beta infancy. Short term usage and rewards are here though, and they seem to come from the most likely of places – the lovers of all things Bleeding Edge, IT.

Fiberlink, the leader in cloud-based enterprise mobility management (EMM), announced that its MaaS360 platform supports the ability to monitor a mobile IT environment and perform administrative actions directly through Google Glass. The leader in Mobile Device, app and doc management even has a pair on site.

“Google Glass is a great example of how IT can adopt innovative technology to enhance the management and enablement of the mobile workplace,” said Frank Schloendorn, Google Glass test driver and director of Android ecosystem at Fiberlink. He continued, “The freedom to take action on the go and help someone at any time, all by looking through Google Glass, is an amazing experience. It’s just plain cool.”

Google Glass isn’t an immediate problem solver, but rather a window of pure evolutionary potential that further breaks the barriers in human and machine interactions.

BYOD: APPS Act No Game for Enterprises

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:13:07 +0000

The recently passed Application Privacy, Protection and Security (APPS) Act mandates app developers must maintain in-depth privacy policies that in part forbid them from collecting any personal data once the user has stopped using their application.

Why is this a game changer? For consumers, the lack of App rule transparency has plagued social media experiences since the first cow mooed on Farmville. For enterprises, this act will require a whole new set of governors when it comes to employee smartphones and tablets especially when the conversation turns towards Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

Now that App developers, advertising networks and mobile operating vendors are lawfully required to furnish details on what data they collect and how the data is used, enterprises can have more faith in App integrity, but the data leakage and information sharing war is far from won.

APPS Act – The Heavy Hand of Trust

The APPS act has addressed one of the key shortcomings of the mobile application ecosystem – trust in mobile applications. Last year, a BYOD Harris survey revealed that 75% of smartphone owners forgo deploying enterprise applications that reveal their location in exchange for access to corporate resources. More often than not, this fear for loss of privacy has pushed many smartphone owners to remove apps that may allow employers access into their personal lives. This is sadly the antithesis of the BYOD productivity nirvana.

With the APPS act enforcement enterprises are now obligated to strongly monitor their app ecosystem and ensure that their business apps infuse trust with transparency. Thus mobile security solutions must be implemented for delivering privacy holistically.

4 Steps to APPS Act Compliance

This is by no means a full list on what should be considered for APPS Act compliance, but these starting fundamentals will certainly leave enterprises better prepared when the inevitable discussions begin with the legal department and the Chief Security Officer.

1. Define mobile security policies to ensure that the mobile apps delete user data after they have been uninstalled. Using a mobile application management (MAM) solution, you may:

Black list mobile apps that may invade into a user’s privacy and do not comply by the APPS act
Detect rogue apps
Decide to receive alerts for mobile application pop up notices that may intentionally or unintentionally turn off any app privacy settings

MAM solutions are resourceful in not only curtailing your app privacy concerns but also help you keep a check on the secured state of your app ecosystems.

2. Include an Enterprise App Store in your MAM solution for distributing and managing enterprise applications from a single window. Before choosing and downloading an application, administrators must:

Study the mobile app for its authenticity
Read the app privacy policy for what kind of data is being collected
Ensure that the mobile application allows you to change your privacy settings

MAM solutions must allow administrators to send alerts and reminders to smartphone owners if any significant information is being collected by any mobile application on the device.

3. Conceal employee personal info and location coordinates from the corporate eye with mobile security solutions. This is a popular, easy and effective way of adding privacy protection and ensuring that Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is being blocked in the enterprise world. The mobile security solution must disable:

App inventory reporting of personal applications installed on the device for restricting the administrators in gaining access into a smartphone owners personal app ecosystem
Location reporting to prevent access to indicators such as physical address, geographical coordinates, IP address and Wi-Fi SSID

4. Deploy mobile security solutions that suppress privacy concerns holistically. The idea is to delimit not only app privacy but also mobile privacy concerns to prevent any data breaches and simultaneously ensure a quintessential user experience. Employees may be apprehensive about using their personal mobile devices for business purposes if policies and processes are not in place to protect their privacy.

An extra level of protection finally comes from using dual persona solutions. With this “container” like approach enterprises can separate the work and personal areas on the phone. Smartphone owners can then easily toggle across work and personal spaces and IT administrators can be assured that all business intellectual data is accessed only by authorized personnel.

Gartner Predicts Waning of Corporate Owned Devices

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:23:34 +0000

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has transcended from buzz word to business as usual at a blistering rate. While there are definitive challenges associated with this open era of mobile information sharing, the boons in productivity are already apparent. Organizations that continue to shun the BYOD trend will be at a significant disadvantage as analysts across the board are showing BYOD permeating across all industries in coming years.

Take for example a recent BYOD prediction from Gartner, essentially stating BYOD will be less an option and more a mandate for employment. It’s a bold statement that has led to a major uproar among analysts and enterprise executives. This change will necessitate controls like Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) to effectively manage and secure smartphones and tablets, but also force a completely new way of looking at the IT and employee relationship.

50% of Companies Can’t Be Wrong About BYOD

Gartner’s research recently indicated that half of all businesses in the United States and abroad will demand that employees participate in BYOD programs in the very near future.

50% of Companies Can’t Be Wrong About BYOD

Gartner’s research recently indicated that half of all businesses in the United States and abroad will demand that employees participate in BYOD programs in the very near future. David Willis, Gartner analyst and the firm's acting Vice President, wrote the article in reaction to a survey of CIOs that revealed many executives are planning to halt device provisioning by 2016. The next three years will show a shifting of IT’s budget from device provisioning to coffers set in place for BYOD allowances.

While the current widespread popularity of BYOD has been known for many years, this report indicates that mobility-first strategies will be apparent in the majority of companies within the next three years. Still, Willis explained that enterprises will need to evaluate BYOD more comprehensively to ensure that these efforts are well-founded, and come with the returns they expect.

BYOD Backlash in Job Hunt?

ZDNet recently explained that should Gartner's prediction manifest into reality the ramifications will likely be serious for employees. Will applicants be deterred by having to purchase devices for a job or shy away at this encroachment of business apps on their personal devices?

Currently there seems to be little fear from both a cost and invasion of privacy perspective. Most professionals already own some type of mobile device, since they are simply a tool for living. As for privacy, mobile device management from companies like MaaS360 can easily ensure the separation of personal and work data inherently or offer added protection through a Secure Productivity Suite.

Developing, Managing, and Securing Mobile Apps in the Enterprise

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:34:09 +0000

As enterprise mobility continues to expand and shift rapidly, business executives and IT strategists have worked to develop new methods of optimizing bring your own device (BYOD). One of the prevailing trends in BYOD has been the proliferation of enterprise application development, as more businesses move away from purchasing apps and toward making their own.

In these environments, mobile app management (MAM) solutions are essential, as unmonitored apps can be more disruptive than productive. The growing demand for specialized application development has led to a major shift in software development, which includes the increasing number of executives who have staffed their businesses with seasoned IT professionals.

As many companies will be somewhat new to the application development and software creation processes, executives need to ensure that they are procuring the necessary resources to make the strategy work.

Taking the applicable approach

TechTarget recently reported that companies have been forced to decide between outsourcing app development tasks to external firms or developing their own in a do-it-yourself fashion. According to the news provider, organizations will often have to pay higher fees over time when outsourcing mobile application development, especially when the desired software is complex.

However, cloud computing has offered enterprises with an opportunity to become more active in the app development process, especially Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). This technology offers the scalability and usability necessary to begin and continue developing mobile applications, even for those who have not done so in the past.

Regardless of which strategy is chosen, TechTarget asserted that the majority of companies are looking to create their own corporate applications rather than purchasing out-of-the-box products. This trend is expected to intensify in the coming years, as more businesses are expected to move past the simply BYOD launch phase and into the optimization process.

TechTarget added that the applications of such software development strategies are endless, and always work best when the company has a clear goal for each effort. For example, the news provider cited the success of one project at a convention center in Texas, which developed an application to store, access and manipulate blueprints.

This effort paid off, as it improved productivity among employees while decreasing the costs of printing out extensive blueprints.

Now that you’ve developed apps, how will you manage them?

It doesn’t matter whether an app is developed in-house, at an outsourcing firm or purchased off the internet. MAM is essential to ensure the integrity of data and enterprise networks. Further, applications that are never assessed or evaluated could hinder productivity through the disruption of services and a variety of other issues.

MaaS360 is among the most advanced MAM solutions on the market today, offering a variety of benefits to adopters. For one, our cloud-based platform simplifies and speeds up the overall mobile application management process. Not only is it intuitive, it comes with full operational lifecycle management capabilities.

After implementation, companies can protect enterprise apps by leveraging a mobile application container with full operational and security management, helping to reduce risk of sensitive data leakage. Mobile application workflows and app updates will be streamlined through complete lifecycle management.

5 step checklist for total app security

If you are looking for secure use of mobile apps in your environment, MaaS360 Mobile Application Security helps companies:

Enforce compliance checks
Restrict copy and paste processes
Provide real-time alerts for violations
Authenticate users before accessing apps
Leverage app wrapper or SDK to contain apps

Download the MaaS360 Secure Productivity Suite data sheet today to learn more about how MaaS360 can help manage and secure data beyond applications, including emails, contacts, calendars, documents and the Web. Or click below to register for our upcoming webinar on May 16, where we’ll provide a complete demo of the powerful new suite that helps IT boost productivity and mitigate risks in the BYOD era.

Balancing Mobile Security and Productivity with BYOD Privacy

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:38 +0000

Though today’s mobile ecosystem is bustling with new features, application and product launches, it is not doing enough to cater to enterprise security and privacy needs. Second to mobile security, mobile privacy is an emerging, sensitive issue for many bring your own device (BYOD) workers. A recent survey conducted by Ars Technica revealed that:

34% of mobile owners are looking for mobile services or features that divide the work and personal space
22% were interested in the mobile feature or service if the costs were absorbed by the company
19% were only interested if the product or service was user-friendly

These percentages indicate that the BYOD user community expects different mobile strategies to be developed by IT that will be account for their personal privacy when using mobile devices. Similar types of demands from BYODers across all industries have made the protection of end user privacy a key deliverable for all BYOD programs.

For the same reasons, demand has risen for privacy safeguarding solutions that protect against leakage of both personal and corporate data. The mobile ecosystem is often flooded with news of mobile applications and mobile games violating a user’s privacy or collecting data without the users consent. When it comes to enterprises, it is important that access to networks and important software applications is controlled and monitored.

Addressing Mobile Security While Accounting for BYOD Privacy

IT executives must consider technologies that allow them to divide and isolate the work environment on a mobile device to provide seamless security and productivity. In the event that a device is lost or the user leaves the company, the privacy safeguarding technology must ensure that only the business data is wiped off and the user’s personal data is untouched.

Some technology approaches for addressing mobile security while maintaining BYOD privacy are:

Secure Data Container

This technique encapsulates business sensitive information and data in an encrypted or policy defined space or folder. Since a BYOD worker’s complete work activity is executed from this sandboxed area, movement of data is limited and the chances of sensitive business information getting mixed up with personal data are profoundly reduced. Apart from facilitating smooth and frictionless business communication, the solution does not steal away the complete device and application control from the BYOD participant.

One popular approach to enable a secure container on a mobile device is a dual persona solution, which is essentially the administration of two independent user environments to separate the “work” from “personal” data and experience on a mobile device.

However, device owners are compelled to use only the business applications available in the container, such as email and calendar, for work communication that are separate from their native email and device applications. This may cause some discomfort for the users, but IT must walk them through the importance of this strategy in meeting their data security goals. In many cases, workers prefer this separation of their work from their personal data, as evidenced by Ars Technica’s survey results.

App Wrapping

This is a popular technique for curbing the rising mobile application malware menace. Similar to data containerization technique, each application is wrapped in its unique container. IT can then add multiple layers of protections and monitor app behavior by defining granular security policies.

Content Stripping

This mobile security solution strips sensitive content from the email, like attachments, images, text, etc., stores the stripped content on a remote server or a defined location on the device, and then directs the user to retrieve the content from a secure application where the flow of content can be controlled.

The key downside to this approach is a disjointed user experience. The user would receive an email with no text and no attachments and would be required to launch another application to securely access the text and attachments.

Secure Document Sharing

This technique permits mobile users to read, edit and share sensitive business documents in an encrypted and secured container. IT can further augment the security on a specific document by defining more advanced security policies and enabling authorized access. A good use case of this technology is in the retail sectors where the management must ensure that all the tablets on the retail floors are updated with the current product and inventory information.

Learn how different approaches can work in tandem. Try out MaaS360 Secure Productivity Suite today. Unlike other solutions, our solution delivers a dual persona approach to separate corporate information on the same device while providing comprehensive data leak prevention (DLP) features to secure devices, emails, applications, documents and Web browsing.

Education Mobility – No Hiding at the Back of the Class

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:14:46 +0000

Today’s students have my deepest sympathies. Back in the Paleolithic days of education, when chalk choked the air and gargantuan sized text books roamed the earth; slackers, the uninspired or just general rabble rousers had a powerful weapon at their disposal – the teacher’s line of sight. To speak more specifically, these miscreants could always find a way to procure the seats that were out of that line of sight, whether taking peripheral vision positions or slouching behind the more eager learners in the classroom.

Smartphones & Tablets – A Rabble Rousers Worst Enemy

Now, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, whether student owned in a Bring Your Own Device Program (BYOD), or offered by the school itself, there is nowhere in the classroom for students to hide. Education engagement Apps like Learning Catalytics (recently acquired by learning tool juggernaut Pearson) have empowered educators in K-12 all the way up to higher Ed with a 360 degree periscope view of the classroom.

“Submit” to Never Raising Your Hand Again

We all remember the one student whose angelic hand would shoot up like an Apollo 11 rocket at even the most complex conundrums thrown out by teachers and professors, now that student will have to settle for gold stars at home with this leveling of the playing field. Interactive engagement Apps produced by the likes of Pearson coupled with the power of the touch screen can now make every student go the chalkboard at the same time without ever leaving their desks. Multiple choice questions, geometric manipulations, even the attachment of images for “Name that President” moments can be delivered to all students instantly.

Teachers Get Eyes in the Back of Their Heads

While there is woe in this new world of classroom transparency for some students, there is nary a downside for teachers. With controls from their iPad or Android devices, teachers can now see every single answer every single question…every single time.

Taking things to the next level, once the answers are submitted teachers can then do pairing exercises to match the accelerated students with others to foster collaborative peer learning.

Can IT Meet the Challenge? If Armed Correctly, You Bet!

With any new technology, IT can take two paths. There’s the ostrich system of letting these new technologies permeate the school with no controls or security. This would be a fine approach assuming the institution has a student base of less than twenty; a reality that only occurs in Walnut Grove inside Laura Ingalls class.

The practical and pragmatic approach is of course for IT to manage these devices; yes including the student-owned Bring Your Own Devices (assuming you don’t have the budget to buy every student a laptop or tablet). With Mobile Application Management (MAM), IT can distribute Learning Catalytics and any other App to all or select groups of students and teachers. Taking things a step further, IT can also ensure that every moment is used for learning time with Secure Browser control to ensure only sites that are learning focused will be accessed during school time. Tomorrow’s classroom is here for the school districts ready to embrace it.

Separate Work & Play on Mobile Devices in the BYOD Era

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:53:28 +0000

The consumerization of IT has continued building momentum since its onset, presenting enterprise IT with the unprecedented challenge of balancing end user wants and needs with the best interests of their organization. While best practices and policies related to bring your own device (BYOD) remain in flux, enterprises are beginning to deploy the most effective technologies, rolling them out with more efficiency than ever before.

Be a protector of personal devices

MSN recently reported that while employees widely prefer BYOD allowances, many are concerned about the privacy of their personal information given the controls used by their employers. According to the news provider, experts recommend that businesses take the safest path possible to BYOD policy creation, ensuring that corporate data and networks are protected from the risks posed by personal device use.

However, companies still need to balance between usability and security, as well as employee privacy and protection of corporate data. This need has led to an increased demand for dual persona mobility management solutions, and this trend is expected to continue for years to come.

According to CITE World, dual persona processes were widely discussed by speakers and participants at a conference in Barcelona, who described it as a way to preserve corporate data integrity and maintain employee privacy. Following this protocol helps BYOD policies garner strong participation rates and yield productivity gains while keeping critical information safe.

Separating corporate and personal data

MaaS360 recently announced a Secure Productivity Suite which can be implemented to support dual personal for iOS and Android operating systems. The new Secure Productivity Suite includes secure mail, application security, secure document sharing and a secure browser. Businesses can leverage existing infrastructure investments, as there is no need to install new on-site appliances that intercept company email. Other components of the MaaS360 Secure Productivity Suite include the elimination of scaling issues and chance for email outages, while offline security and controlled movement of email attachments and texts are provided to prevent data leakage. Click here to read the official press release.

MaaS360 remains at the forefront of enterprise mobility management solutions, taking strides to ensure in the newest trends in the BYOD era are met with proper support. If you're interested in trying out MaaS360 for your BYOD strategy, consider signing up for a free 30 day trial today.

4 Cures for Healthcare Mobility Management Ailments

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:51:22 +0000

Mobile technology is transforming the healthcare industry, and mobile health (also known as mHealth) is on the rise. This infographic from AlliedHealthWorld highlights how mHealth has changed the way the medical professionals consume and process information, communicate and engage with their patients, and most importantly, how they aid them in making a more intelligent and digital diagnosis. Outside the realm of patient care, some individuals have taken to various mobile health applications as a means to monitor their own health. These apps enable them to retrieve wellness and disease prevention information—providing them a way to send updates to their healthcare providers.

As mhealth gains popularity, protecting and securing health information on mobile devices has become a key challenge for IT in healthcare. A recent survey released by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP explains that while tech-savvy physicians and hospital staff save time by using their bring your own device (BYOD) devices to access patient health records, around 40% of patients are concerned about the privacy of their medical information.

Unprotected BYOD mobile devices coupled with unguarded cloud storage services make the patient data more vulnerable to data breaches. The threats further multiply when BYOD owners access healthcare data or exchange sensitive information over public wireless networks. Maintaining control and monitoring behavior on BYOD devices is a key challenge faced by healthcare IT.

Cloud services are a popular, affordable and an efficient way to store data amongst BYODers. Physicians and researchers often prefer cloud based services to maintain transparency and fluid interaction with their peers and patients. Though cloud solutions facilitate ease of sharing and quicker diagnosis, patient data privacy is largely at risk. Thus, IT must monitor data activity in the cloud to uphold adherence with HIPAA guidelines. Also, healthcare organizations must ensure that healthcare providers and professionals comply with HIPAA=instituted privacy and security regulations.

Collating your BYOD strategy components

Granted that 85% of hospitals are pro-BYOD, and the remainder are gearing up, IT must ensure their strategy answers to the following mobility security & management concerns:

How will you ensure that the privacy and security of the patient data is not breached?
What are your practices for increasing patient satisfaction while simultaneously mitigating security risks?
What technology are you leveraging to successfully implement your BYOD program?

The BYOD strategy must be comprised of regulations and policies that:

Account for the fluid nature of healthcare regulatory ecosystem
Defines the end-user’s bring your own device (BYOD) experience
Safeguard the healthcare data

Here are four effective ways to hurdle your healthcare security challenges in the BYOD era:

Enforce mobile policies that close out security loopholes. Here are a few examples of how this can be accomplished:

Define user access control polices to ensure only trusted source of users access hospital networks
Ensure that sensitive information is encrypted on all corporate-owned and BYOD devices
Permit patient data to be accessible only over secured links or over secure browser on BYOD devices
Define rules that ensure data is view-only (not editable) on BYOD devices

Deploy a private app store to ensure hospital data is consumed and processed over a secured tunnel
Separate work and personnel data on mobile devices, instilling confidence in both the patient and the BYOD owner that data is secure and unexposed
Spend time training staff on mobile device use best practices and create different educational tools like emails, videos, tutorials and quick reference guides to make the BYOD program incubation process simple, smooth and efficient

Curing Healthcare Mobility Management Ailments: Lessons for IT from HiMSS13

Join us for today's webinar at 2:00 pm Eastern US, 11:00 am Pacific. Fiberlink Mobile MaaSter, Mike Jankovic will be joined by special guest Susan Nunziata of EnterpriseEfficiency.com to discuss common healthcare mobility challenges and best ways to overcome them. Susan will recap major findings from HiMSS13, while Mike will walk through ways in which mobile device management (MDM) is helping healthcare organizations today. Click here to register.

Smartphone Stolen? Tablet Taken? There's MDM for That

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:20:27 +0000

Organizations of all industries and sizes continue to focus on implementing bring your own device (BYOD) and other mobility strategies to improve agility and drive productivity. However, essentially every IT professional has viewed this trend as a serious threat if policies and governance controls are not implemented in a comprehensive and proactive fashion.

Among the greatest risks to IT security is the event of a lost or stolen BYOD device. Mobile device management (MDM) solutions, especially those with remote wipe capabilities, are essential. They are the best way to ensure a lost or stolen smartphone or tablet does not lead to leakage of proprietary information or access to the corporate network.

Mobile devices slipping through the cracks

Some of the biggest, most highly esteemed companies in the world are struggling to tend to their technology flocks today. SC Magazine recently reported that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) misplaced 195 of its corporate-owned laptops over the course of a year. According to the news provider, the BBC also lost hundreds of other devices in the past two and a half years, including smartphones and tablets.

Since 2010, the corporation reported 399 laptops, 347 smartphones and 39 tablets went missing, amounting to a grand total of 785. This knowledge was obtained by Veracode, an application analysis firm, through a Freedom of Information request last month. While the costs of the lost or stolen devices themselves are high, experts warn that the security threats are far more severe.

"This is yet further evidence that the more portable the device, the greater chance that it can and will go missing," David Lingenfelter, Information Security Officer of Fiberlink, told SC Magazine. "This has a direct correlation with sensitive data ending up where it should not. Organizations need to adopt technology that provides a safe mobile computing environment. Any delay in a department's ability to support and secure the latest devices will increase risk, cause gaps in security and decrease staff productivity."

The risks associated with stolen or lost employee-owned devices can be efficiently mitigated with the right controls and solutions.

Overcome your losses! Win with MDM

Private enterprises and public sector organizations alike are turning to MaaS360 for its unique ability to handle a diverse assortment of pressing mobility management needs. Our cloud-based solution is hardwired for adherence to a variety of regulatory compliance statutes, enabling total control of all devices for optimized security. MaaS360 offers the accountability and scalability necessary to uphold a secure and successful BYOD strategy.

If you're interested in taking MaaS360 for a test drive, consider signing up for our free 30 day trial today. You'll have your devices up and running in minutes.

Facebook Home: Moan...Moan on the Range for IT

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

How many raging narcissists, chatty Cathy’s, social voyeurs, or simply Millennials occupy seats at your organization? Start the headcount today, because they are about to change the course of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for IT.

When I say change the course, I actually mean induce a new layer of frustration and security sieves for corporations trying to embrace mobility for efficiency. Yesterday, each of these Android touting seekers of attention or looky loos at the life of others had their grandest mobile wishes answered with the announcement of Facebook Home.

Facebook Home Ate My Lock

What is Facebook Home? Basically, it’s all Facebook all the time on your tablets or smartphones. In theory it’s not that different from current “skins” added by manufacturers like Samsung and HTC for product differentiation, but that’s theory.

In actuality, Facebook Home permeates all facets of the device – from hardware to every other app you use – which is great if Facebook is the reason you bought a smartphone. If you were planning on using that same phone for business, how do you plan on getting actual work done? I’m in marketing, so Facebook does devour a portion of my daily activities, but certainly not enough to justify the need for my friend’s circular “chat heads” living at the top of my Twitter app or Salesforce. Nor is it enough time to warrant home screen access to Facebook services and most certainly not enough to justify the ability to share a picture of my lunchtime latte without having to unlock the device. This is what should truly terrify every security wonk that has purview over mobility.

Does Your Company Value Mobile Security? Tread Carefully

I could talk functionality frustrations all day. Yes, I resent any app that puts my home screen where all my apps live down a level, requiring more finger waggling than a Doug Henning magic show to gain access to the device’s most basic feature. It’s wonderful that today, the home screen will show the latest updates from my retired parents in N.C., but it will not be wonderful when that space is eventually displaying an ad for products.

Security and management is what makes this new Facebook nirvana the most terrifying.

Want to know where your phone is? Simply call Facebook, they’ll know based off of your GPS. All check-ins with FourSquare will likewise shoot data back to Facebook so it can serve up ads for more pizza while you’re eating pizza. Oh, and did I mention that little part about being able to do activities without unlocking the tablet or phone?

Then there is the poor IT professional who already has enough headaches with Android fragmentation in a BYOD environment. Now, not only will you have to worry about the varying buffet items like éclairs and jellybeans and all of their various point based permutations therein, you will have the extra layer of Facebook Home munching away on users data.

The simple answer to manage Facebook Home is mobile device management (MDM). It provides IT the power to allow or disallow varying mobile operating systems. In the past most users didn’t care if they were forced into a certain OS. Heck, most users have no idea which version of Android they are currently running. They’ll notice the loss of Facebook Home though, and you can be sure a cacophony of whines will arise when IT won’t allow it.

But not allow you must. Sure IT needs to serve end-users, but never at the cost of compromising sensitive company data or enabling time wasters… like Facebook.

Shifting Mobility Strategies for Evolving Browser Use

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:57:58 +0000

Modern employees and consumers more connected than ever before, using smartphones and tablets to dig up information on virtually any topic. Web browsing, when done properly, can improve productivity and engagement among employees though a failure to educate on and govern use of such services could pose significant security threats.

Customization and ease-of-use have become two of the most preferred components of web browsing, and many providers of such services are beginning to cater to these desires. In the same way, employers are looking for ways to customize their governance approaches, ensuring security through advanced enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions.

Googled Anything Lately?

The New York Times recently reported that the market for web-based search tools continues to increase in size, albeit Google remains well ahead of the competition in this space. According to the news provider, the search giant possesses 66 percent of the market with competitors slowly chipping away.

The source explained that search engines are diverging. Certain niche offerings now capitalize on consumer desires for quick and accurate responses. NYT cited LinkedIn and Amazon as the two major websites where consumers go more regularly than Google when they need employment or shopping information, respectively.

The Transformation of Search

These new user habits illustrate the shift toward a web-browsing market that is diverse and filled with more options than the traditionally sole leaders in the space: Google and Yahoo. The news provider also noted that the use of customized web browsing services has led to an increased opportunity to create more informed business strategies.

For example, search terms are becoming more direct and specific than ever before. At the same time, keyword and popular phrase information is readily available to marketers. Regardless of what a company's mobility strategy may be, managers and executives need to ensure that they are monitoring and controlling web browser use for security and productivity purposes.

Secure Browser + MAM = Safe, Productive BYOD

Enterprises can implement MaaS360 Secure Browser to ensure that all search activity of employees is productive and secure. The product protects organizations by blocking websites based upon content categories, and allows exceptions on a customized basis. Millions of URLs are categorized into 60 unique silos, helping expedite the customization process.

Additionally, enterprises can couple this service with MaaS360 for mobile application management (MAM), which will give complete control of app based web access on employee-owned devices.

Giving BYOD the OK? Here’s What Comes Next

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:50:21 +0000

The Millennial generation that could completely transform your business doesn’t prefer to use their personal device at work. They expect it. This very attitude is catching on with all generations: by next year, Juniper Research expects 350 million employee-owned devices will be up and running in the enterprise. The validity of these trends and projections remains unquestioned by forward thinking business decision makers, whose arguments against the tolerability of bring your own device (BYOD) have in turn lost steam. Room has finally been cleared for more germane topics of discussion.

We Are Pro BYOD. Now What?

Guard now down, the new challenge of the day is finding a way to uphold security and productivity whilst accommodating for newcomer mobile technology. Is it realistic to assume that smartphones and tablets, their data, apps, and docs can be accessed, shared, and utilized in harmony – all while connected to the longstanding corporate network? Each device brings with it too many unknowns and too much potential for disaster to simply give everyone the green light…. right?

If You Build It, They Will Come

A few games removed from opening day of baseball season, this cause and effect example from Field of Dreams could not be avoided. But really, now is the time for you to take a step back and consider the big picture: the players (BYOD users and their devices), the game (apps, docs, mail, and web), and the stadium in which it is played (your corporate network). In the case of BYOD, the adage can be reworked to they are coming. What have you built?

Before you ponder how horribly your inaugural season could go, take a breather. Step two of BYOD is not as mind boggling or stressful as it may sound. With cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM), your Rome can be built in a day with devices and apps up and running securely in a matter of minutes. MaaS360 gives IT the assurance that the data contained on these devices are completely bridled.

Observing the Game from the Stands

There are also ways to facilitate secure, productive interactions between BYODers and your corporate networks and systems. You may have concerns about devices that have been left unmanaged. How can you see them? Or asking, in what ways can we ensure unmanaged devices remain unconnected? What can we see about a device that is attempting to attain access?

For these types of questions, look no further than network access control (NAC). Whether your strategy is shifting from containment, to embracement, to blocking devices altogether, you’ll have the control and visibility required to do so.

NAC + MDM + MAM = EMM

Our customers demand complete end-to-end visibility and control of their mobile devices and apps, as well as their network for comprehensive enterprise mobility management (EMM). A new partnership between MaaS360 and Cisco enables visibility, assessment, interaction, and even access restriction for devices that could be negligently entangled with your corporate network—actions that pose risk of a security breach or unforeseen data leakage.

Cisco ISE provides IT "visibility to all mobile devices — rogue or authorized — that [are] present on the wireless network." Integrating MaaS360 with Cisco ISE gives our customers the flexibility to use device context from our platform to enforce the appropriate network access policies, while MaaS360 enforces application and data access policies. For more detailed information on ISE, please click above to view the Cisco Blog.

Aiming to provide IT complete visibility and control in the BYOD era, MaaS360 has the most extensive experience integrating with the leading NAC providers, including ForeScout Technologies and Aruba Networks. These solutions have each respectively been recognized by Gartner as Leader and Visionary in the Magic Quadrant for Network Access Control. MDM and NAC integration gives customers the ability to phase in BYOD and “right size” their mobile security investments for different classes of users, departments, geographies, devices and applications, and apply the technological approach that best meets the need of those use cases, all from a unified platform.

If you are looking to get started, click here to sign up for a 30 day free trial of MaaS360. During your evaluation, our Mobile MaaSters will work with you to determine whether NAC features and functionality should be combined with MDM to meet the needs of your organization.

Moving to Mobile Payments in Retail? MDM Crucial for Success

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:32:05 +0000

By launching bring your own device (BYOD) programs, forward thinking firms of today continue to capitalize on the popularity of smartphones and tablets among employees. One of many industries that are embracing this trend, the retail sector has had to make swift adjustments to adapt to the growing wave of consumer payments being made via mobile devices.

Many firms within the retail sector have already begun benefitting from a variety of mobility strategies such as accepting payments through consumers' smartphones at the point of sale. New applications are strengthening the customer care portion of retail operations, including marketing and in-store assistance. Reasons for new mobility initiatives notwithstanding, retailers will need to implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions to ensure security and spread of productivity.

”Cha-ching” a sound of the past?

Two leading technology research firms recently released predictions and summaries regarding the exponential growth of mobile payments among a variety of industries. First, Gartner analysts said that the number of mobile payments users would grow from 160.5 million in 2011 to 212.2 million in 2012, though the final tally has not yet been released.

On top of the growth of users, Gartner stated that mobile payments transactions increased 61.9 percent between 2011 and 2012, breaching the $171 billion mark last year.

"We expect global mobile transaction volume and value to average 42 percent annual growth between 2011 and 2016, and we are forecasting a market worth $617 billion with 448 million users by 2016," Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner, explained. "This will bring opportunities for service and solution providers who will need to cater to the local demand patterns to customize their offerings."

What's more, Forrester predicted that U.S. mobile payments will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 48 percent between 2012 and 2017. This would represent an increase from a $12.8 billion market last year to $90 billion in 2017.

These predictions illustrate the importance of creating a mobile payments strategy soon.

Planning for mobile payments

More companies are beginning to accept mobile payments. Philly.com recently reported that companies like Barneys New York are enabling the use of iPads and other tablets to accept credit and debit card payments at the point of sale. The source explained that this improved efficiency substantially, as mobile payment processing systems are often much more affordable than traditional cash registers.

Executives are beginning to jump into the mobile payments game early to get a jump on the competition, as some experts have forecast the global landscape to approach a cashless marketplace in the coming decades.

"The traditional cash register is heading toward obsolescence," Danielle Vitale, chief operating officer of Barneys New York, told the source.

Still, there are a variety of challenges that need to be overcome before successful and secure use of mobile devices to accept payments from consumers. Retailers will need to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) to ensure the protection of potentially damaging consumer information and avoid crippling sanctions or fines.

Secure, productive mobility in retail

Retailers can gain a substantial advantage by taking a comprehensive approach to mobility, incorporating payment processing strategies with BYOD initiatives. BYOD can improve productivity among retail employees in a variety of ways. For example, one application that has become more popular can ping employees through their mobile devices when a customer seems to be lost in the store.

To ensure the proper use of all mobile devices, whether they are being used to process transactions or boost productivity among employees, retailers will need to implement the right solutions. Helping to uphold compliance with PCI DSS and a variety of other regulations, MaaS360 is the perfect enterprise mobility management suite for retailers.

What is MDM? [VIDEO]

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:09:37 +0000

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Hi, everyone, and welcome to our video blog on &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=1145]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=1145]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;MaaSters Center&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;. I'm Neil Florio, and today I have Jimmy Tsang with me. How's it going, Jimmy?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Great. How you doing, Neil?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Doing great. Thanks. Today we're going to talk about a very exciting topic-- &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=27]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=27]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mobile Device Management&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;, or &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=27]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=27]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;MDM&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;. It's one of those topics that is really top of mind today across just about every company we talk to as they start to pull together their mobile strategies. But when we typically first engage with the, customers many times they ask us simply to explain what is MDM and what can it really do for our business? So today, why don't you kick things off, Jimmy? Why don't you tell us exactly what MDM is?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sure. So MDM literally means &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=27]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=27]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mobile Device Management&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;. So it's software that secures, manages, and controls mobile devices in the enterprise. What's interesting about the origins of MDM is that really, today's smartphones and tablets are made for the consumer and not for the enterprise. However, what we've seen is that employees and workers are bringing these devices into the workplace.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So what's smart by the major manufacturers is they realize this is a huge opportunity. So what they did is they gave some MDM features and made those available so that enterprises can control and secure their devices. So really, there's a whole host of MDM security features available. Things like enforcing encryption. Requiring Pasco settings on the device. Detecting jailbroken or rooted devices, so that there's no data leakage. Disable native apps, camera, and screen capture, even. Determining the location of the device if it's lost. And perform a remote wipe of the device if it's stolen.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So really, there's hundreds of levers that IT can use to secure and control devices. So what kind of customer challenges are our customers facing? Which kind of challenges are our customers facing today with MDM, Neal?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sure. So there's a couple key things that MDM is trying to solve for our customers. First of all, it's the multi-platform challenge. So right now, organizations really need to deal with sometimes three, four different platforms, even beyond. So you've got iOS. You've got Android, which has multiple variants across different platforms. Windows Phone. So MDM really helps solve that challenge and provides a short and unified platform to be able to manage all that in a single tool.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;What it also does is help support &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=1830]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=1830]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;BYOD&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;, or &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="[sitetree_link id=1830]" mce_href="[sitetree_link id=1830]"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Bring Your Own Device&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;. So that's one of the major drivers for I IBM and essentially it's foundational prepare like so if you're allowing your employees to use their own personal devices to access corporate data. MDM can help you do that. Not only by configuring and managing the security policies over the air, but it can help you control that data and make sure that data-- if your device is lost or stolen, you can wipe that data easily from the device.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So ultimately, what it's doing is helping to reduce the risk and protect those corporate resources. So the networks, your corporate data. MDM helps you manage all that. And most companies have some sort of regulations they need to deal with. So MDM helps ensure that, and shows that you are compliant with whatever regulations that you do have.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;But ultimately, what MDM is enabling today is the transformation of business. So the use of mobile applications, of documents, MDM is really helping organizations find new ways to use these mobile devices to help them become more competitive in the marketplace today. We have some very specific challenges that customers are using across different industries. So Jimmy, why don't you tell us a little bit about some of those use cases that we see.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sure. We can talk about hundreds of use cases, but let's bring up a couple that we see today. So in health care, we see shared devices between nurses and doctors in a hospital setting. What they can do now is be able to log in-- so say, a doctor logs in-- and get the apps and the data that they need at that point of care, literally at the hospital bed. Before, it used to be tied to terminals or to some type of PC. But now they can use a tablet at the point of care.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;In retail, what we've seen is, again-- before, it was using the checkout line or the customer service terminal in order to look at inventory or even check out a customer. These days, they can use shared devices and go down the aisle with the customer and actually check out a customer at the shelf instead of at the line. So there's tons of use cases. And it's a really exciting space for MDM.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;But where do you think MDM is going? What's the future of MDM, Neal?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sure. So mobile goes real fast. And we always get asked, what is next? Now that I've got my baseline mobile management in place, where do I take this next? So we see-- mobility is moving out to the edges of the organizations. We're getting pushed out, to be honest. We're the core mobile users that you traditionally had in an organization. Now it's getting pushed out, as Jimmy said, to every area of your business.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So it's not just about managing the users or managing device-- managing users as well, too. So many users will have multiple devices. So you have to manage that across all the devices that they have. They have applications. They have documents they need to push out. Ultimately, what you want to do is provide the best use case-- the best user experience.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Users love these devices, so you don't want to necessarily lock them down into any particular area. You want to give them the freedom to be able to use the native capabilities as much as they can, still while being able to secure the information that you need to. So MDM is really evolving beyond just managing security policies to really managing security content device and supporting the business.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So the broader trend we're seeing in the industry is enterprise mobility management. So that really embraces a much wider set of capabilities and use cases within an organization. But we're seeing now is when it comes to having to secure the information, containerization and enterprise DLP types of controls are really what's next in MDM.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;There's a couple different approaches to that. Dual persona is one of those, where you can create two different spaces on device and be able to manage data separately. So if it's personal data, you can leave that alone. And you can manage all of the corporate data in a particular workspace. Also, context-based security. So applying policy based on location, time, or evens that happen. So a little bit more sophisticated.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;And then finally, when you see BYOD get pushed out within organizations, it's all about protecting user privacy. So making sure that their personal information is really kept personal. So ultimately, what you want to do is, you want to make mobility easy for users and IT. And the technology really should not get in the way.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;And every use case is different, even within an organization. So an MDM tool should be able to address all the different use cases. So from BYOD to some of the more interesting use cases that Jimmy talked about. So our advice to trial an MDM solution and see for yourself what it can do for your business.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;So I appreciate the time and look forward to talking to you again.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Hi, everyone, and welcome to our video blog on MaaSters Center. I'm Neil Florio, and today I have Jimmy Tsang with me. How's it going, Jimmy?

Great. How you doing, Neil?

Doing great. Thanks. Today we're going to talk about a very exciting topic-- Mobile Device Management, or MDM. It's one of those topics that is really top of mind today across just about every company we talk to as they start to pull together their mobile strategies. But when we typically first engage with the customers many times they ask us simply to explain what is MDM and what can it really do for our business? So today, why don't you kick things off, Jimmy? Why don't you tell us exactly what MDM is?

What is MDM?

MDM literally means Mobile Device Management. So it's software that secures, manages, and controls mobile devices in the enterprise. What's interesting about the origins of MDM is that really, today's smartphones and tablets are made for the consumer and not for the enterprise. However, what we've seen is that employees and workers are bringing these devices into the workplace.

So major device manufacturers are smart and soon realized this is a huge opportunity. So what they did is they created some MDM features and made those available so that enterprises can control and secure their devices. So really, there's a whole host of MDM security features available. Things like enforcing encryption. Requiring passcode settings on the device. Detecting jailbroken or rooted devices, so that there's no data leakage. Disabling native apps, camera, and screen capture, even. Determining the location of the device if it's lost. And performing a remote wipe of the device if it's stolen.

So really, there's hundreds of levers that IT can use to secure and control devices. So what kinds of challenges are our customers facing today with mobile devices, Neil?

Multiple Platforms, BYOD, Data Security, Industry Regulations

There's a couple key things that MDM is trying to solve for our customers. First of all, it's the multi-platform challenge. So right now, organizations really need to deal with sometimes three, four different platforms, even beyond. So you've got iOS. You've got Android, which has multiple variants across different platforms. Windows Phone. So MDM really helps solve that challenge and provides a short and unified platform to be able to manage all that in a single tool.

What it also does is help support BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. So that's one of the major drivers for I IBM and essentially it's foundational prepare like so if you're allowing your employees to use their own personal devices to access corporate data. MDM can help you do that. Not only by configuring and managing the security policies over the air, but it can help you control that data and make sure that data-- if your device is lost or stolen, you can wipe that data easily from the device.

So ultimately, what it's doing is helping to reduce the risk and protect those corporate resources. So the networks, your corporate data. MDM helps you manage all that. And most companies have some sort of regulations they need to deal with. So MDM helps ensure that, and shows that you are compliant with whatever regulations that you do have.

A Gamechanger for Forward Thinking Businesses

Ultimately, what MDM is enabling today is the transformation of business. So the use of mobile applications, of documents, MDM is really helping organizations find new ways to use these mobile devices to help them become more competitive in the marketplace today. We have some very specific challenges that customers are using across different industries. So Jimmy, why don't you tell us a little bit about some of those use cases that we see.

Sure. We can talk about hundreds of use cases, but let's bring up a couple that we see today. So in healthcare, we see shared devices between nurses and doctors in a hospital setting. What they can do now is be able to log in-- so say, a doctor logs in-- and get the apps and the data that they need at that point of care, literally at the hospital bed. Before, they used to be tied to terminals or to some type of PC. But now they can use a tablet at the point of care.

In retail, what we've seen is, again-- before, it was using the checkout line or the customer service terminal in order to look at inventory or even check out a customer. These days, they can use shared devices and go down the aisle with the customer and actually check out a customer at the shelf instead of at the line. So there's tons of use cases. And it's a really exciting space for MDM.

But where do you think MDM is going? What's the future of MDM, Neil?

Total Enterprise Mobility

Mobile goes real fast. And we always get asked, what is next? Now that I've got my baseline mobile management in place, where do I take this next? So we see-- mobility is moving out to the edges of the organizations. We're getting pushed out, to be honest. We're the core mobile users that you traditionally had in an organization. Now it's getting pushed out, as Jimmy said, to every area of your business.

So it's not just about managing the users or managing device-- managing users as well, too. So many users will have multiple devices. So you have to manage that across all the devices that they have. They have applications. They have documents they need to push out. Ultimately, what you want to do is provide the best use case-- the best user experience.

Users love these devices, so you don't want to necessarily lock them down into any particular area. You want to give them the freedom to be able to use the native capabilities as much as they can, while still being able to secure the information that you need to. So MDM is really evolving beyond just managing security policies to really managing security, content and devices to support the business.

So the broader trend we're seeing in the industry is enterprise mobility management. So that really embraces a much wider set of capabilities and use cases within an organization. But we're seeing now is when it comes to having to secure the information, containerization and enterprise DLP types of controls are really what's next in MDM.

There's a couple different approaches to that. Dual persona is one of those, where you can create two different spaces on device and be able to manage data separately. So if it's personal data, you can leave that alone. And you can manage all of the corporate data in a particular workspace. Also, context-based security. So applying policy based on location, time, or evens that happen. So a little bit more sophisticated.

And then finally, when you see BYOD get pushed out within organizations, it's all about protecting user privacy. So making sure that their personal information is really kept personal. So ultimately, what you want to do is, you want to make mobility easy for users and IT. And the technology really should not get in the way.

And every use case is different, even within an organization. So an MDM tool should be able to address all the different use cases. So from BYOD to some of the more interesting use cases that Jimmy talked about. So our advice to trial an MDM solution and see for yourself what it can do for your business.

So I appreciate the time and look forward to talking to you again.

Wearable Mobile Devices on the Rise - Will They Reach Your Enterprise?

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:24:07 +0000

Although smartphones and tablets have continued exhibiting a rise in popularity, device manufacturers and software developers continue to take progressive steps toward more advanced mobile technology. Businesses that have not yet developed bring your own device (BYOD) programs—incorporating information governance strategies and enterprise mobility management solutions--might find themselves behind the productive pack by failing to adapt

Many enterprises have already started to approach mobility, while studies indicate that the majority of employees in the United States and abroad are using personal devices to access corporate data and networks, regardless of whether support is in place. In the road ahead, where do smartwatches and other wearable options fit into the picture within the enterprise?

Many new smartwatches, two few wrists

While Apple appears to be the first manufacturer to launch a smartwatch development initiative, CNN recently reported that Samsung is in the process of creating one as well. According to the news provider, Samsung's Executive Vice President, Lee Young Hee, said that his firm has been working on a smartwatch for years.

The source explained that this marks the continued competition between Samsung and Apple, as the Galaxy line of smartphones has thus far been the biggest challenge to the widely popular iPhone. Additionally, Business Insider reports that Google is working on its own smartwatch, which will run on its Android operating system.

The report explained that Google has been working on a flip-up display for a smartwatch, differentiating from Apple's product, though little information has been disclosed by either company. However, Apple's executives did recently announce that its smartwatch would be available later this year, and will run on iOS.

"Four eyes" just got cool

In one of the biggest mobile technology news stories of the year, Google released detailed information related to its Google Glass product, which might be the most progressive wearable device in production today. According to a report from Forbes, Google will tether this product with the iPhone and Android devices for better data reception.

Google Glass is expected to be the beginning of a major shift in mobile technology toward devices that can be used for a unique assortment of purposes outside the bounds of what is available today. The product has not been released for mass consumption yet, but is expected to be rolled out in the coming months.

Many experts believe that smartwatches and products similar to Google Glass will have impressive applications in the enterprise landscape, as employees will be able to use the devices more fluidly than even the most advanced smartphones and tablets. Too soon to begin preparing? Never say never: we can expect these wearable devices to enter the office by way of employees.

Wearable mobile devices: dress code violation?

As if the modern executive didn't have enough challenges to overcome regarding mobility, the new trend of wearable technology might further complicate information governance and device management strategies. Still, the most proactive companies will likely have the easiest time incorporating new technology into existing management structures.

These wearable products are expected to run on the operating systems we’ve grown accustomed to on our smartphones and tablets, and will interface with the devices as well. For this reason, enterprise mobility management suites that can ensure secure and productive use of smartphones and tablets on the market today will remain effective in the coming years, despite the rapidly evolving trends in wearable technology.

How has your organization responded to the current wave of mobile devices entering the enterprise? MaaS360 has stood out to enterprise decision makers as a cloud-based solution that can support thousands of devices in a relatively short period of time. Our award winning solution can be used in virtually any industry, even those with the most stringent regulatory compliance requirements.