Tech pundits today are bubbling about Apple’s announcement that it will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 6 by unveiling its next generation software: Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5, as well as a new cloud service called iCloud which is rumored to be Apple’s cloud service for music. READ MORE
The unfortunate reality for those who lose a smartphone is the cost to replace the hardware should be the least of your worries. Rather, the data that resides on the smartphone — including potentially sensitive information about your company’s plans, sales, and customers — isn’t something you want falling into the wrong hands. “Organizations have been hearing a lot about the threat of mobile security breaches. However different from PCs, the threat on mobile isn’t the compromise of the device itself to be taken over and used for malicious ends, it’s the data that resides on these devices that should be the critical area of focus for organizations,” says Chris Silva, executive vice president for research and service delivery at IANS, a Boston Mass.-based IT research company. “Therefore, the threat of viruses and malware, while still nascent and therefore not an area of intense focus, is not where most organizations should be focused. Rather, their sights should be set on how to protect the data on devices such as customer information, e-mails, contact details, and other sensitive information,” adds Silva. Locking a smartphone with a password isn’t enough. Instead, many vendors, and third-party software developers, are offering ways to remotely wipe the data from lost or stolen smartphone. “The way it’s done is a small packet of data is sent down to the device’s firmware, remotely, that will start to scrub the device of its information,” explains Ken Dulaney, vice president of mobile computing at the Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner research and consulting group. “Most consumers could probably care less about this, but it’s incredibly important for businesses to have a remote wipe feature in place for its employee’s phones.” Using GPS and/or cellular triangulation, you might also be able to track a missing phone — say, if you left it at a nearby restaurant after a business lunch — or if stolen, the information could be given to the authorities to pursue. Whether you use a BlackBerry, iPhone, or Windows device, here’s a look at the offerings (and cost) of what’s available today: iPhone Apple’s MobileMe service ($99/year), which synchronizes all of your information between Apple devices — such as e-mail, contacts, and calendars — can also be used to remotely lock, wipe, or locate a lost or stolen iPhone. When you realize your phone is missing, the first step is to log into your MobileMe account on a computer and remotely set a four-digit passcode lock to prevent anyone from using it. Then, you can have it ring (in case you left it under a pile of clothes), type a text message that appears on the iPhone’s screen (e.g. “Please call me if found”) or you might want to locate the phone on a map. If this, too, proves unsuccessful, you might want to remotely wipe the iPhone’s data, which is also an option once logged into your MobileMe account. Or you can do this through a Microsoft Exchange Server wipe command, too. Windows Phones Designed for Windows Mobile 6.0 phones (and newer), Microsoft’s My Phone (free) offers a number of handy features including automatic back-ups of your phone’s info (such as contacts, e-mails, and text messages) and the ability to access it all online. Once you sign up for the service, you can erase your phone if it is missing by sending a command to restore the device to its original factory settings. My Phone can also find your lost phone by pinpointing the last location it was synchronized. Many phones — including the upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices — will have My Phone already bundled on the phone but it’s also available as a free download. BlackBerry There are a few free third-party tools available for users of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry smartphones. For one, SmrtGuard lets you remotely track or wipe your phone. A “Pro” version of the software also gives a “data protection package,” enabling you to backup and restore your data. BuddyGuard also lets you remotely access, lock, wipe, or retrieve a missing BlackBerry (via GPS). Similar to MobileMe, you can also have the BlackBerry emit a loud tone — even if the phone was left in silent mode — if you suspect the device is somewhere in the home, car, or office.
The rush is on. With more than 75,000 applications and counting, the iPhone serves as a new frontier for business development. Thousands of these apps promise to transform the way small and mid-sized businesses operate, allowing for convenience, streamlining operations, improving customer satisfaction, cutting costs, and much more. But the apps are developing so rapidly and the market is evolving so swiftly that businesses aren’t often taking proper security measures into consideration before they move operations to the iPhone. “I worry that more and more people are rushing off to use the wealth of applications that are out there,’’ says Mark Kadrich, CEO of The Security Consortium, which advises companies about security. “I just don’t think people have taken the time to ensure that those applications are secure, trustworthy and reliable.… Some of this stuff is two to three guys banging out code in a garage somewhere.” Evaluating your risk In general, says Kadrich, small businesses don’t take adequate security measures. “If you look at most large organizations, most have a business continuity plan or disaster plan in place to deal with something catastrophic happening,’’ he says. “Small businesses don’t tend to have the IT depth they need to do those kinds of things.” Couple a lack of attention to security with what Kadrich sees as the risky nature of the iPhone platform, and some caution is in order when moving business functions to the iPhone. “It’s a constant balance. Is the benefit a business owner sees on a day-to-day basis, the financial returns, worth it to the point if something happens and the business is off line for several days?” asks Kadrich, author of Endpoint Security (Addison-Wesley Professional 2007). Understanding what’s at stake Consider what would happen if the data you’ve moved to iPhones is breached or lost. What sort of liability do you have if you compromise a client’s confidential information? What happens if you submit a legal bid, only to have the information altered somewhere in the process? Even the smallest business needs to understand the risk and build a continuity plan, says Kadrich. Like other hand-held devices, the iPhone can be easily lost, stolen or misplaced. “Small business owners with sensitive information on their iPhone, especially customer information, should be very cautious,’’ warns Alex Moazed, CEO of Applico, which has developed Aurkon, a backup application for Blackberry smartphones. “If lost or stolen, it is relatively easy to hack into the iPhone and break security protocols.” Mitigating risk If you’re going to operate on the cutting edge of iPhone development, it makes sense to minimize your exposure. Taking these precautions can help: Vet your vendor– Ask plenty of questions. Just because an app is available doesn’t mean it is secure. “Any developer should provide a detailed abstract of the project, outlining the exact functionality of the application, features, as well as a plan for ongoing development of new features and maintenance,’’ says Tony Nestor, CEO of Progress Technologies, Inc., and a software developer. A single fixed quote with a brief sketch of the proposed project is a sure warning sign, Nestor says. Understand contingencies — What happens to your data if the developer goes out of business or the business is acquired by another company? An app developer should have data retention and privacy policies. Make backup plans– Ask if your data is backed up on a daily basis or on a real-time basis. Test whether your data can be reconstructed from a backup. Ask developers how they back up their servers. “Missing the backup routine in a scope of work is a huge indicator that the project has not been fully put to concept,’’ Nestor warns. “This is the equivalent of building a house without any plans to refer to.” It’s also critical to sync and back up information such as contacts or documents. MobileMe’s iDisk, from Apple, lets you access, store, and share files online or through the iDisk app for iPhones. Data is synchronized daily using iTunes. “You can drop the phone in a swimming pool, get a new one and sync it with the computer,’’ says Michael Miora, founder of ContingenZ, which offers companies training and management for disaster recovery and security threats. The DataViz Documents to Go app offers two-way file synchronization, says Miora. Kadrich has found the MobileMe backup buggy, so he now resorts to syncing his contacts by returning his iPhone to the cradle each day. Get the patches– Stay current on security patches and software updates from Apple. Use the remote wipe — For iPhone 3.0 users with MobileMe accounts, Find My iPhone’s Remote Wipe lets you issue a remote command to erase the phone’s data if the phone is lost or stolen. This isn’t fool-proof. For instance, a data thief could keep the phone from connecting to the Internet, thus not allowing the data removal. Recognizing the potential of the iPhone as a business tool means acknowledging there can be downsides too, says Kadrich. “For whatever reason, people have gotten it into their heads that because the format of the device has changed, the underlying care you should take isn’t there.”
The rush is on. With more than 75,000 applications and counting, the iPhone serves as a new frontier for business development. Thousands of these apps promise to transform the way small and mid-sized businesses operate, allowing for convenience, streamlining operations, improving customer satisfaction, cutting costs, and much more. But the apps are developing so rapidly and the market is evolving so swiftly that businesses aren’t often taking proper security measures into consideration before they move operations to the iPhone. “I worry that more and more people are rushing off to use the wealth of applications that are out there,’’ says Mark Kadrich, CEO of The Security Consortium, which advises companies about security. “I just don’t think people have taken the time to ensure that those applications are secure, trustworthy and reliable.… Some of this stuff is two to three guys banging out code in a garage somewhere.” Evaluating your risk In general, says Kadrich, small businesses don’t take adequate security measures. “If you look at most large organizations, most have a business continuity plan or disaster plan in place to deal with something catastrophic happening,’’ he says. “Small businesses don’t tend to have the IT depth they need to do those kinds of things.” Couple a lack of attention to security with what Kadrich sees as the risky nature of the iPhone platform, and some caution is in order when moving business functions to the iPhone. “It’s a constant balance. Is the benefit a business owner sees on a day-to-day basis, the financial returns, worth it to the point if something happens and the business is off line for several days?” asks Kadrich, author of Endpoint Security (Addison-Wesley Professional 2007). Understanding what’s at stake Consider what would happen if the data you’ve moved to iPhones is breached or lost. What sort of liability do you have if you compromise a client’s confidential information? What happens if you submit a legal bid, only to have the information altered somewhere in the process? Even the smallest business needs to understand the risk and build a continuity plan, says Kadrich. Like other hand-held devices, the iPhone can be easily lost, stolen or misplaced. “Small business owners with sensitive information on their iPhone, especially customer information, should be very cautious,’’ warns Alex Moazed, CEO of Applico, which has developed Aurkon, a backup application for Blackberry smartphones. “If lost or stolen, it is relatively easy to hack into the iPhone and break security protocols.” Mitigating risk If you’re going to operate on the cutting edge of iPhone development, it makes sense to minimize your exposure. Taking these precautions can help: Vet your vendor– Ask plenty of questions. Just because an app is available doesn’t mean it is secure. “Any developer should provide a detailed abstract of the project, outlining the exact functionality of the application, features, as well as a plan for ongoing development of new features and maintenance,’’ says Tony Nestor, CEO of Progress Technologies, Inc., and a software developer. A single fixed quote with a brief sketch of the proposed project is a sure warning sign, Nestor says. Understand contingencies — What happens to your data if the developer goes out of business or the business is acquired by another company? An app developer should have data retention and privacy policies. Make backup plans– Ask if your data is backed up on a daily basis or on a real-time basis. Test whether your data can be reconstructed from a backup. Ask developers how they back up their servers. “Missing the backup routine in a scope of work is a huge indicator that the project has not been fully put to concept,’’ Nestor warns. “This is the equivalent of building a house without any plans to refer to.” It’s also critical to sync and back up information such as contacts or documents. MobileMe’s iDisk, from Apple, lets you access, store, and share files online or through the iDisk app for iPhones. Data is synchronized daily using iTunes. “You can drop the phone in a swimming pool, get a new one and sync it with the computer,’’ says Michael Miora, founder of ContingenZ, which offers companies training and management for disaster recovery and security threats. The DataViz Documents to Go app offers two-way file synchronization, says Miora. Kadrich has found the MobileMe backup buggy, so he now resorts to syncing his contacts by returning his iPhone to the cradle each day. Get the patches– Stay current on security patches and software updates from Apple. Use the remote wipe — For iPhone 3.0 users with MobileMe accounts, Find My iPhone’s Remote Wipe lets you issue a remote command to erase the phone’s data if the phone is lost or stolen. This isn’t fool-proof. For instance, a data thief could keep the phone from connecting to the Internet, thus not allowing the data removal. Recognizing the potential of the iPhone as a business tool means acknowledging there can be downsides too, says Kadrich. “For whatever reason, people have gotten it into their heads that because the format of the device has changed, the underlying care you should take isn’t there.”
