Mobile security tools win over IT pros

The number of smartphones in use around the globe is expected to surpass 2 billion by the end of 2015, which is one reason corporate IT teams are scrambling to define their mobile technology strategies and implement BYOD policies.

When we asked IT pros to name their favorite products, a handful of respondents cited tools they've acquired to help address mobile device management, data security and application use.

Brook Ellis, for instance, singled out Mojave Networks cloud-based mobile security offering, which is designed to help companies to secure sensitive data, evaluate application use, and block threats.

"The ability to track, lock, and limit usage of our deployed devices with this product is immeasurable," says Ellis, business analyst at LeeSar, a healthcare supply chain company in Fort Myers, Fla. "It has decreased workers' spending company money on irrelevant apps, it has increased productivity by not allowing for personal use. It has helped me to track and locate or lock and wipe stolen or lost devices."

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At Needham Bank, the need for secure mobile collaboration led IT to Accellion's kiteworks file-sharing technology.

"Keeping pace with the consumerization of IT, I was motivated to find a user-friendly solution that would enhance productivity in my workplace by allowing for the remote sharing and collaboration of information. Kiteworks by Accellion does just that," says James Gordon, first vice president of IT at the Massachusetts community bank.

"This mobile-first interface allows my employees and me to put the most important items at the forefront of our workflow while also securing corporate data. One feature that I find most beneficial is the three-tier cloud architecture with separate authentication required at each layer."

Kiteworks has been a productivity boost for end users. "Because the solution is so intuitive, employees find that regardless of their team member's physical presence, remote or in person, collaboration is just easy," Gordon says. "Not only does this allow our company to work together efficiently, but it also easily allows for accurate documentation and safe storage of all our work."

At Active Interest Media, it was relatively easy for IT to manage the company-issued BlackBerry devices that employees used. But as people started bringing their own devices to work, "it created new security and management issues," recalls Nelson Saenz, vice president of IT at the El Segundo, Calif.-based publishing company.

Today Saenz relies on Good Technology's Good for Enterprise mobile collaboration and device-management suite.

"I like Good for Enterprise because it makes it easy to secure our company information and manage the mobile devices in our network by placing the corporate data in a secure container that separates it from the rest of the smartphone," Saenz says. "IT only needs to worry about managing the container on the device, not the rest of the employee's device, applications, or information."

"The design of the product also makes it easy for our employees to use so they don't require training from IT to get up and running."

Ease-of-use was also a draw for Jim Carroll, vice president, managed mobility services, at Tangoe. His favorite product, LogMeIn Rescue, allows support staff to remotely view, diagnose and fix computers and mobile devices.

"In order to benefit from the increased productivity and flexibility the mobile revolution can provide, organizations need the ability to effectively manage employee's devices, without expending valuable time and resources," Carroll says. "LogMeIn helps them do that by maximizing mobility, connectivity and business productivity, providing a hands-free approach to managing mobility so they can focus their resources on their core business."

"It helps me deal with the complexities of mobile strategy, providing remote access capability and a hands-free service to shorten resolution time," Carroll says.

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

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Tags BYODIT managementwirelessNetworkingMDManti-malwaremyerconsumerization of IT

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