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www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk 4G will change the way firms use data


SPEAKERS’ CORNER Dominic O’Connor


The arrival of 4G has so far been dominated by EE, leaving rivals


O2, Three and Vodafone with a lot of “catching up to do” according to IT trends analyst IDC. In the last four months alone, EE has doubled its number of customers and as of the beginning of this year had signed up more than two million phone users to EE 4G. With the number of customers signed up to 4G contracts by the end of 2014 likely to rise, questions are already being asked about how this will affect the amount of data we use and what opportunities this presents to marketers. According to Carphone


Warehouse chief executive Andrew Harrison: “There is a real willingness for customers to move to 4G and … for them to understand that data usage is going to go up in the future.” But with more customers gaining access to contracts with larger data allowances, what does this mean for telcos, who will have to deal with a new spike in data volumes? How will it change the way telecommunication companies


manage their consumer data? It has been widely reported in the US that the average 4G customer burns through more data than those with 3G devices. In fact, according to Forbes, traffic across high-speed 4G networks will increase 40-fold by 2017, meaning the average 4G customer will use far more data than they currently do using 3G.


This increase is not only due to customers interacting with a greater level of content, but also marketers taking advantage of this extra capacity to send an increased level of marketing materials to customers. From adverts to other rich content, the amount of downloads across


appropriately, this could prove detrimental to major telco brands as they struggle to cope with the amount of data being ingested.


So what is the solution? Telco brands need to invest in systems which will help structure and interpret the increasing amount of data that 4G will generate, and ensure they have the technology and capabilities in place to collate, sort and use it in their customer acquisition and retention strategies. Understanding and


interpreting this data, which may emerge in unstructured formats, is a big concern and perhaps the biggest barrier to achieving a single customer


“The amount of downloads across the 4G spectrum is vast – a huge opportunity”


the 4G spectrum is vast. This presents a huge opportunity to marketers, as the likelihood that customers will use their increased allowance to interact and engage far more than they did previously is infinitely higher. However, this by default creates an enormous amount of additional data, from customer preferences and browsing histories to location activity and real-time events. If not managed


view. To gain insight and ensure business and marketing operations are effective, there must be a consolidated view of the entire customer base across all areas of the business. Establishing a structure will remove these obstacles. That may evolve from a top-down evaluation of the value of the current database and data capture methods, but whatever approach you’ve taken, businesses must look at their analytical


“To grow and develop a sound understanding of customers is crucial”


capability and simplify internal processes. It’s all about achieving a 360-degree view of the customer. Are you able to easily identify who your customers are and how they are interacting with you? Do you know what their personal preferences are? Are you effectively capturing these details and then using this insight to improve the service they receive from you? Is it targeted? Is it relevant? These are all questions telco brands need to start asking themselves in the months ahead.


Whilst businesses think they have a firm understanding of their customers, the advent of 4G will inevitably change the way they think about and use data. Therefore, making sure the customer database is up-to- date and that investment is being made in obtaining crucial demographic and lifestyle information on both existing and potential customers is crucial. Using it to overlay or supplement existing data sets or prospect lists with additional insights, will provide an enriched understanding of the customer. That might range


from what newspaper they read to which supermarket they shop at or the type of car they like to drive. Understanding the dynamics of a household’s composition and what impacts its finances, is crucial to identifying and predicting purchase decisions. These details about customers’ hobbies and interests can help make better sense of emerging data sets and types. A number of these have been around for years but with data usage predicted to increase 40-fold over the next three years, all brand marketers – not just those at the telco companies offering 4G services – need to re-evaluate their data strategies. Investment in the skills, technology and resources that will enable them to continue to grow and develop a sound understanding of their customers is crucial. This commitment will enable them to deliver an effective, targeted multi-channel campaign through which to communicate with them.


Dominic O’Connor, head of telcos & utilities, Axicom


Two-factor authentication improves security


SPEAKERS’ CORNER Chris Edwards


Ask any IT manager what their biggest security headache


is today and it’s a safe bet that managing and securing employee mobile devices will come high up the list. The proliferation of smartphones and tablets, along with employees’ desire to use these devices to access corporate networks, has multiplied the number of access points to organisations’ sensitive networks, applications and data. This has given rise to the


view that smartphones and tablets are the Achilles heel to data security. In fact, mobile devices can – and should – play a key role in an organisation’s overall security. By bringing employees’


devices within the corporate firewall, organisations can use their in-built security functions to turn smartphones into secure authentication devices for accessing premises and networks. For this to succeed, however, requires a fundamental shift in the way that we think about mobile devices. This is my view as chief technical officer at Intercede, the identity and credential management specialists. The perennial problem for IT administrators is how to reconcile network security with the demand from


employees (not to mention senior management) for access through their personal devices. This dilemma has traditionally been answered in one of two ways: either by setting draconian limits on employees’ ability to access corporate systems on their own smartphones, or by implementing a mixture of security technologies and policies to control and monitor staff network access. Neither of these options strike a happy medium. Ruthlessly restricting access on personal devices simply does not keep step with the way today’s employees expect to work; meanwhile, mobile security is still largely based on an increasingly vulnerable form of ID verification – usernames and passwords – which are still the standard for most “secure” log-ins, whether they are done from the desktop or the mobile device.


This is a problem across organisations. Passwords simply do not provide high enough levels of security. They can easily be cracked, lost or stolen; and in needing to be increasingly complex they are also getting harder to remember and more inconvenient for the user. So rather than asking how mobile access can be made secure, the real question for chief information officers should be how to improve security across their organisation.


One of the most effective and immediate steps that organisations can take


to improve security is to implement two-factor authentication, which combines a physical token, such as a smart card, with a PIN or other code. This level of authentication – something you have combined with something you know – is widely accepted as the standard for secure access, and is exactly the same type of technology that has proved so successful with chip and PIN. This is where the smartphone can come into its own and, rather than being a source of vulnerability, can be part of the solution. Placing a secure credential


into a secure part of an employee’s phone or tablet, such as the SIM or Trusted Execution Environment,


effectively turns the device into a smart card. Combined with a PIN, this gives a much higher level of security whilst providing much-needed simplicity and convenience for the user. By extension, it also ties the device into the organisation’s security and authentication systems, enabling admins to effectively verify, monitor and control who is accessing networks and sensitive data and have trust in those devices. By adopting such two-factor


authentication, organisations immediately strengthen their network security. This system doesn’t require any additional equipment such as a smart card or physical token, making it easy to use


“Passwords can easily be cracked, lost or stolen and need to be increasingly complex


and convenient for employees. The benefits do not stop there. Mobile authentication helps to solve another serious security problem, which is the large number of business systems and applications that organisations use, each requiring the user to have a discrete digital identity or log-in. Not only does mobile authentication consolidate these identities onto a single device, it can also provide security for physical access (e.g. to premises) as well as networks. Security threats are constantly evolving and counter-measures must keep pace with them. The days are gone when usernames and passwords could be considered adequate protection for sensitive information. If organisations are still trusting in passwords, they urgently need to review their security system. Pursuing mobile authentication has the additional benefit of solving that other intractable security headache of managing employee devices. Of course, no single technology can honestly claim to protect us from every potential threat. Even so, in the fight against hacking and data theft, the “vulnerable” mobile device is one of most potent defences we have – and it has been in our pocket all along.


Chris Edwards, chief technical officer, Intercede


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