BYOD IN FOCUS
Why mobility matters R
esellers may feel like they’re dealing with more acronyms than ever but these new ways of working aren’t just a passing fad. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), IaaS, SaaS may sound like flavours of the month, but all of them, along with cloud computing and mobility, are here to stay for the foreseeable future. “Of course, there are challenges associated with deploying, managing and supporting mobile technologies like these, but every challenge is also an opportunity, to a savvy reseller at least,” said Rutherford.
Robert Rutherford
Flexible solutions that support greater mobility are growing faster than any trend seen to date, creating a perfect storm of opportunity for customers and resellers, according to Robert Rutherford, Managing Director, QuoStar Solutions.
One of the first factors to consider when working with mobile devices on an enterprise scale is security, which is clearly a concern when it comes to the publication of enterprise applications across various platforms, and particularly with those outside of the direct control of the IT department. “This challenge is especially relevant for companies that are planning to adopt the latest BYOD trend,” added Rutherford. “Even though BYOD schemes are generally best suited to large organisations, this model is now beginning to creep into businesses of all shapes and sizes.”
Resellers will need to think carefully about OS and web browser security. “Most mobile applications will be delivered via a web browser, and all web browsers and operating systems will have their own security vulnerabilities,” noted Rutherford. “However, if you can isolate the application delivery against these browser and operating system vulnerabilities, then that’s a good first step.”
Network security will be another key area to consider. Traffic will need to be secured between the device and the delivery platform in order to protect again tampering and ‘sniffing’, in other words, man- in-the-middle attacks. “To be safe, resellers should automatically assume that any network outside of the building is insecure and therefore make sure that appropriate controls,
such as encryption, are put in place,” commented Rutherford. “The BYOD trend raises additional security issues. Truthfully, if a specific technology or device is really that beneficial to an employee’s work, then it should be supplied and controlled by the company. People have always been the biggest risk to a business in terms of IT security, and BYOD is only exacerbating that fact.”
However, resellers will nonetheless need to address this issue, and isolation of the consumer devices from the corporate network will be key. “If you need to open particular ports, ideally just standard web ports for access, then so be it,” said Rutherford. “Thin client and VDI solutions can also work well to aid isolation from the corporate LAN. Even so, two-factor authentication will be required as a bare minimum. And, ideally, no company data should be stored on the device itself.”
Along with security issues, managing network performance will also need to be considered when delivering enterprise applications to devices outside of the delivery platform. “Sure, it’s great to have numerous xGbps connections into the data centre, but if the CEO is in a far-flung location and an application doesn’t perform as it should, the repercussions can be serious,” warned Rutherford. “It’s essential to factor in the issue of latency, especially when using thin-client technologies to deliver application services.”
Network resilience at the client end is also an important area that resellers need to think about. “The cloud delivery platform may work
well for the 50 task-based workers who are based in a remote office on a bonded SDSL service, but when that local line goes down with no viable SLA, it’s going to hurt,” said Rutherford. “It may not be the reseller’s fault, but any issues with service will affect the customer’s perception of the reseller company.”
In order to add the greatest value, resellers will need to balance all of these current needs with what’s likely to come next. Application delivery systems, cloud services technologies, and end user device developments are fluid and changing rapidly, which means that future proofing is another important part of any mobile solution that resellers plan to deploy, manage and/or update for an enterprise customer.
“It will be essential to provide adequate support for projects like these,” added Rutherford. “A lot of providers, particularly from the comms side of the track, are suddenly jumping into the cloud with a variety of SaaS solutions. This area is a whole new ball game and not just a matter of hiring in some extra skills. Resellers will need to make sure that they gain some experience and adopt a different attitude to servicing this market.
“New mobile devices and apps will soon begin to feature in IT environments of all sizes as a way of delivering operational and productivity enhancements. It’s essential that resellers are able to support the rise of this technology. The potential benefits and oppor- tunities that these tools can provide are too significant to ignore.” BYOD in focus – page 50
People have always been the biggest risk to a business in terms of IT security, and BYOD is only exacerbating that fact
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