Jiri’s Notepad

… by someone from Microsoft, 23rd April

This was a dedicated product-oriented Microsoft presentation. I thought I would attend, just because mobilility is becoming such a big deal. The session was pretty close to what was promised in the invite:

How on earth can you manage the security of the ever growing range of mobile devices in your enterprise? Even if you standardise on a small number of devices it’s often difficult/impossible to manage them while they are out on the road. Microsoft® System Center Mobile Device Manager makes it easy to solve these complex problems.

We are getting increasingly mobile. An informal survey MS did showed that probably 40-50% knowledge workers are mobile (travelling often or working away from they desk).

Most companies don’t have mobile strategy and as a result, which often results in a sub-optimal and non-scaleable solutions next time your CEO asks for a Blackberry. Technical mobility strategy is needed to respond to demands like this. But mobility is also a big HR subject – the appropriate policy for mobile working is the main thing that prevents businesses to get more benefits from their use of mobile devices.

One of the key technical requirements for mobile solution is the ability to scale up. Their deployment often starts with 100 user pilot but quickly spreads to thousands.

We are now talking about Microsoft CE as a mobile OS platform, which now can be better managed and is more secure. Windows Mobile 5&6 now have including EAL2? [note JL, which just shows how insecure mobiles are].

The main features come with the System Centre Mobile Manager, whose new version came out in April. It gives you a lots of goodies:

Management

• Configuration of hardware and software using based on AD / GPOs
• Provisioning & enrollment. User can buy the device in the high street, via enrollment it can be remotely configured to become the enterprise device.
• Mobile deployment of applications over the air
• Inventory reporting

[Note JL: Mobile Manager seems to give you similar management capabilities that are currently used to manage standard desktop]

Security

• Hardware driver lock-down – can switch off camera, lock down bluetooth, capability to delete the information on the device remotely
• Can control access to applications, who can install what, access to internet
• File encryption for memory card and the in built storage
• Mobile VPN - Tailored specifically to work over GSM/GPRS infrastructure to get around the problems of moving between base stations. Can be used to provide access to web based business apps

Overall rating: 3/5 (A decent technical presentation, good content, too much focused on product features rather than solutions)