Mobile Device Management Products
Posted by
Jesse Lindeman and Frank Bulk
August 13, 2004
Tags: Intellisync, Mobile Automation, Mobile Lifecycle Management Suite, Novell, PDAs, XcelleNet Afaria 5.1, ZENworks Handheld Management, cell phones, data theft, iAnywhere, laptops, mobile devices, smartphones, Cell Phones, Data Networking & Management, Handhelds, PDAs, Organizers, Hardware, Mobile Device Management Products, Mobile Hardware, Mobile and Wireless, Notebook PCs, Other, Remote Access , Smartphones, Software, Software and Web Development, Tablet PCs, Telecommuting, Unified Communications & VoIP, WLAN Security , WLAN Software, WLAN Usage, WiFi Wireless Networking, Wireless
Channel: Other, Networking & Mgmt, Wireless, UC & VoIP
Whether mobile productivity devices are owned by enterprises or by employees, corporate data will find its way onto them--and then, inevitably, out the door. And mobile devices have a nasty habit of being lost or stolen and becoming gold mines for thieves looking for sensitive information on unprotected machines.
Recently publicized viruses remind us how important it is to control and sanitize devices when they interact with the corporate network. Symbian has Cabir, and earlier this month, just three weeks after publication of the WinCE4.Duts.A proof-of-concept code, which showed the Pocket PC platform was vulnerable, the Bardor.a Trojan appeared (see www.mobilepipeline.com/26806217).
Asset tracking can be tough without an accurate bead on how many devices a corporation has floating around. Further, knowing what sensitive information has been compromised by lost devices is impossible without knowing what applications and data are kept on them.
Because mobile devices connect to network resources intermittently, keeping tabs on them, their software and their data is a daunting management task, especially for IT departments already stretched thin. There are products that can help.
We asked nine vendors to submit their mobile device management software to our Syracuse University Real-World Labs® for testing. We looked for products focused on a broad range of management features, including inventory, configuration and security, on an equally broad range of handheld platforms. Point solutions in the PIM or security space were not included, nor were products supporting just one hardware platform.
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