Software corrals enterprise smart phones

A trio of vendors has announced new or improved software to better protect enterprise smart phones and the corporate data they hold.

In general, the software applications combine centralized management tools with client-based code to enforce security policies and protections. Such tools have been available for notebooks and handheld computers, but only recently have they been applied to the ubiquitous smart phone.

Enhancements include expanded support for the most popular smart phone operating systems, improved over-the-air management features, and controls for other on-phone wireless interfaces, such as Bluetooth and 802.11.

Network Chemistry, in Redwood City, Calif., this week announced that a version of its RFprotect Endpoint application, the first one with features specifically for securing smart phones, is entering beta testing. The new version will detect whether a VPN client or a firewall is active on the handheld; if neither is, will block it from connecting to a network. Administrators will be able to set policies to prevent the use of specified interfaces, such as Bluetooth, and ad-hoc wireless connections with other client devices.

Also new is a tight connection between the server application and Microsoft Active Directory: Administrators can drag and drop Active Directory users or user groups into the server software, then create and apply security rules for them.

Finally, the new version will support Windows Mobile 5.0 and the Symbian operating system.

The new version of RFprotect Endpoint is expected to ship sometime during the first half of 2007. Pricing, unchanged from that of previous versions, starts at $8,000.

U.K.-based rival Synchronica has begun shipping Version 1.3 of its Mobile Manager software. Synchronica is one of the few companies specializing in smart phone security for the enterprise.

Mobile Manager is a server-based application that has a Web GUI from which a help desk staff person or IT administrator can manage smart phones remotely that have access to corporate data, e-mail, and other applications.

With Version 1.3, administrators can:

• Remotely configure 802.11 wireless LAN adapters, which increasingly are appearing in high-end mobile phones designed for cellular and wireless IP connectivity.
• Retrieve contact lists from a phone.
• Remove specific e-mail accounts or Web favorites from a phone.
• Extend the list of emergency phone numbers that users can call if a phone is locked.
• Check a phone remotely to see whether a given software update file has been received.
• Schedule firmware and application updates, so these can be done wirelessly when a phone is not in use.
• Configure Mobile Manager to lock a phone automatically and erase all data if the agent detects that the phone's SIM card has been removed or replaced, an action that often is a precursor to an attempted hack.

Synchronica's software can be deployed either as a managed service from a mobile operator or other provider, or as an enterprise application behind the corporate firewall.