Sophos has announced the latest version of its mobile device management (MDM) solution, Sophos Mobile Control 2.5. With an updated Web-based administrative console and extensive new feature set, the latest version provides a simple way to bring BYOD into the enterprise quickly, safely and securely, while reducing the reliance on IT.
According to the Cisco IBSG Horizons Study, published in May this year, 95% of companies allow employee-owned devices in some shape or form, with 84% providing some level of support, and 36% providing full support for these devices. And, according to the June 2012 Forrester Research report, "Charting the Rising Tide of Bring-Your-Own Technology", BYOT brings both issues and opportunities into an IT organisation - and info workers recognise that. Thirty-five percent stated that their organisation would make them uninstall or stop using the unauthorised software they have installed. Given the tremendous momentum behind this trend, blocking or ignoring BYOT will put an organisation at a distinct disadvantage, such as not being able to attract top talent or to collaborate and share documents easily with business partners outside corporate boundaries.
Sophos Mobile Control 2.5 has optimised workflows, so IT administrators can complete many common tasks in just one click. The new version also offers easy integration with existing IT infrastructure by supporting the use of directories, such as Active Directory, to automatically assign newly-registered devices to existing groups and apply the associated policies to them.
The enhanced interface includes detailed graphical reports to assist IT administrators in managing all aspects of mobile devices, offering them immediate insight into which devices require updating, and ensuring that all devices are secure.
"BYOD is top of mind for myriad organisations; however, it's causing some concern among IT. The increase in personal devices accessing the network may complicate the process of ensuring devices are secure and compliant with company policies, making it difficult for IT to justify broad BYOD acceptance," says Stacy K Crook, senior analyst, Mobile Enterprise Research, IDC. "Solutions with features like those found in the latest version of Sophos Mobile Control allow organisations to develop BYOD strategies without compromising on security, or complicating the overall management of the network."
It is increasingly difficult to manage employees' mobile devices through self-service portals because employees often are unable to access the Internet. Sophos' new mobile client interface includes a compliance tab, which provides the device's compliance status, reasons for non-compliance and any actions the user needs to take to resolve the issue, thereby alleviating the need for IT help. Users can also access their current compliance status and a list of issues in the self-service portal.
Sophos Mobile Control 2.5 offers improved risk mitigation, such as allowing IT to remotely conduct a corporate wipe of a device if an employee leaves the company or remains non-compliant with security policies. The support for iOS-managed apps allows companies to tie their corporate or compulsory apps to their MDM solutions and to push them to the employee devices. These apps, as well as any associated data, can be deleted directly from the admin console. In addition, if a mobile device becomes non-compliant, the new release will alert IT, so the administrator can send messages to the user for minor violations. For more serious incidents, the administrator can configure a set of tasks, which will be applied automatically. Examples include corporate or full wipes as well as policy changes to avert any risk for corporate data.
"Sophos has made considerable advancements in MDM over the past few months. Following the recent acquisition of DIALOGS, Sophos has been able to aggressively improve the features within its complete mobile security offerings," says Brett Myroff, CEO of Sophos distributor, NetXactics.
"This rapid momentum in mobile business means it is no longer enough for businesses to just control their own devices. They must now make sure that all devices, regardless of whether they are corporate or personal, are protected and secured and meet the company's security standards."
Sophos Mobile Control is available as a subscription licence or as part of the Sophos Complete Security Suite.
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Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos' complete security solutions as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Simple to deploy, manage and use, Sophos' award-winning encryption, endpoint security, Web, e-mail, mobile and network security solutions are backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centres.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, in the US. and Oxford, in the UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.
NetXactics
Established in 1998, NetXactics is a South African company that specialises in sales, marketing and distribution of IT and related products. Its approach is quite unique, focusing on long-term growth coupled with exceptional customer stability. NetXactics has also been nominated as one of the top ICT companies in South Africa for four years running, and has attained a level 2 BBBEE rating.
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