Security
Another major argument in favour of virtualization is that it can improve the security of tablet PCs. As Gartner analyst Nick Jones tells it, security issues can arise as the enthusiasm for deployment often runs ahead of the ability of IT to manage the devices.
“I look at a lot of the iPad deployments around — people using email on an iPad with no management tools, no additional security — that is a level of management you wouldn’t ordinarily accept within an organisation,” he says. “But the pressure to allow choice has become so great that people are deploying [devices] with much lighter management than they would normally do so."
And it’s not just the iPad that IT management should worry about, Jones says. There’s Android as well, which he characterises as the ultimate IT nightmare as it is “fragmented, it is immature and popular — how much worse can it get?”
“So people like the CEO are going around with an iPad with presumably highly sensitive information on it but not controlled in any particularly heavy way,” he says.
“I do have a horrible feeling that we are going to see interesting and terribly embarrassing data loss incidents with some of these devices which will push people to manage them more like traditional devices over the next year or so.”
CA’s Sharples says this scenario means organisations will need to use technologies such as desktop virtualization, VPNs and data loss prevention (DLP) if employees are to securely access the corporate environment from any device.
“Using virtual desktop on a portable device such as an iPad or smartphone or any of a number of devices that are going to come out in the next 12 months is a really smart plan,” he says.
“Firstly, it takes care of the authentication question — understanding who the person is, what device they are on and where they are. You need to know where they are as there may be different levels of access to data for a staff member. A senior financial controller will have different access if they’re connected on the office LAN with a PC or laptop versus an iPad in a Qantas lounge.”
Most virtual desktop solutions also come with inbuilt encryption, which is critical when managing what is available in the air, or in transit, through wireless-enabled devices, Sharples says.
“Next is the data leakage prevention layer: not just going down to what documents or what file systems people have access to but what is the content of the artefact they are examining or removing from the environment,” he says. “For example, does the document contain dollar signs or credit card numbers?”
Sharples says an iPad is less of an issue when it comes to data leakage as it doesn’t have much in the way of “smart local” file storage; however, the ability to block information being shared with apps such as Dropbox, DLP is critical.
“Users will find a way to make it easy for themselves, be it IT guys can consume Amazon cloud using their AmEx or an iPad user putting a stack of corporate documents in Dropbox so he can access them at home,” Sharples says.
Curtin’s Nikoletatos says he feels that security on tablet PCs is mature enough at the moment, but you still have to be mindful that you don’t put all your organisations data on the devices.
“We have gone through an information classification process about what types of data are likely to be used – which can be put into Dropbox; more transient environments,” he says. “For us moving toward cloud base content makes more sense – you just have to secure the two end points.”
Corporate Express’ Whatley says security is one of the organisation’s concerns, but using the right tools has the ability to “remote kill” tablet and other personal devices.
“We run a VPN, we do other things, but it comes down to how much risk you’re willing to wear and different organisations will have different risk profile,” he says. “We have had our security guys look at it and they are comfortable with what we do in those areas.”
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