Technology Consumerization

Apple’s iMessage is good, but DEA access still possible

There’s been a little confusion and misinterpretation about CNET’s article detailing a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency intelligence note concerning difficulties in intercepting Apple iMessage communications. The DEA didn’t say that these messages couldn’t be intercepted by the government. They said they couldn’t be intercepted using typical wiretap authorizations implemented by wireless carriers. That’s because iMessage traffic is encrypted between iOS devices and Apple’s servers, and possibly end-to-end (I say “possibly” because Apple doesn’t... read more

Data Protection Should Follow the Risk

The convergence of consumerization, BYOD, and cloud computing is a phenomenon difficult to describe in a few words. I’ve heard IT managers call it “a perfect storm” — and there’s some truth to that. However, I just found the most accurate, blog-worthy description in a new IDC Analyst Connection. Analyst Phil Hochmuth states, “All these trends might be summed up in a single megatrend:  the introduction of untrusted end-user environments in the enterprise.”  It’s spot-on. And in the same sentence, Hochmuth cleverly identifies where we should focus: END USERS! Sensitive company... read more

Jailbreaking is happening in the millions: don’t turn a blind eye

The jailbreaking of Apple iOS devices has been around as long as the devices themselves, but IT managers are still underestimating the scale of the issue and the security risks it represents for corporate data and networks. The latest jailbreak for iOS 6.1, released on 4 February, was downloaded by a whopping 5 million users in the first 48 hours alone, according to the website stats posted by Cyril (a.k.a. pod2g),  the developer of the latest hack published on evasi0n.com. During these first two days, the websites served 40 million page views of which a good 50 per cent to 2.5 million unique... read more

Icebergs, The Nordics, and Other BYOD Considerations

New data shows that companies are increasingly exposed to security risks due to a variety of consumer-grade technology brought in by the employees. I just returned from a tour in the Nordic countries where I presented to the local press the results of the latest BYOD survey* conducted by YouGov on behalf of Trend Micro. The data collected from 3,012 interviews across Norway, Sweden, and Denmark highlights many details of this controversial IT Trend. Most importantly, the research confirms an undeniable truth: Companies around the world are exposed to increasing security risks due to a variety of... read more

Bring Your Own Apps – Manage Risk to Reap the Rewards

When we talk about consumerization trends these days we often concentrate on the device, the ‘D’ in BYOD. But enterprise employees have been using consumer-grade applications in the workplace for a lot longer – just think about the popular IM or email clients provided by Yahoo, Google and others for the past 5+ years. Thanks to the ubiquity of cloud computing and powerful smartphones and tablets this trend of Bring Your Own Apps (BYOA) is really gaining pace, and needs to be understood and managed better by IT. Popular consumer-grade online apps now exist to serve a huge range of needs including... read more

Consumerization Trends for 2013

Post based on my conversation with Zoe Sands, Head of Digital Marketing at Juniper Networks. A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting with Cesare Garlati, Vice President, Mobile Security at Trend Micro. It was an enlightening and informative meeting; he is a security veteran with vast experience in mobility, his chosen specialism – I learnt a great deal from meeting him. Our conversation started around the Consumerisation of IT, as it is now driving a new level of challenge across the enterprise, and how, rather than thinking of this trend as a mobility issue, it’s being thought... read more

BYOD, Enterprise Mobility and Beyond – What to expect in 2013

Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes just published his traditional new year predictions for 2013. Quite insightful and mind opening paper, which I invite you to download and add to your reading list for the Holidays. Interestingly enough for Trend Micro – the company that has made the “Journey to the Cloud” its corporate mantra – Raimund’s top two predictions are not related to the cloud but rather to the inevitable impact of consumer mobile platforms on corporate IT – a topic particularly relevant to the Consumerization blog and to the Enterprise Mobility professionals among... read more

The Financial Impact of Consumerization – Is your BYOD program in the money?

One of the less understood aspects of Consumerization is its financial impact on the business. Studies* show that an increasing number of organizations allow their employees to use personal devices to connect to corporate networks and data for work related activities – the so called Bring Your Own Device phenomenon. However, a new research** commissioned by Trend Micro reveals that only a few companies measure the actual financial impact of this new IT model and that even fewer have a clear sense of whether Consumerization actually makes good business sense. To help C-level executives articulate... read more

Why the world is ready for BYOD, even if your business isn’t

It might sound like an obvious thing to say, but in the IT industry it’s easy to get lost in the technology. Unfortunately, fixating too much on the bits, bytes, and specs can often distract IT pros from the job at hand – supporting the business. Something of a stand-off between staff and IT has developed in many organizations over the past couple of years around BYOD and it really needn’t have. In the end, it’s about employees using the technology they want to perform better at work. What business wouldn’t want this end goal? Let’s get one thing straight. Most CEOs get it. Nearly three... read more

2013 Consumerization Trends to Watch

Every year, Raimund Genes, Trend Micro’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) talks with staff and researchers to develop projections for the coming year. For 2013, Raimund’s predictions indicate that security issues related to the consumerization of IT will be front and center in terms of new developments, both positive and negative. 2012 was a big year of transition with consumerization topics moving more to the center of the security watchlist, most notably the explosion of Android malware. In Raimund’s view, this movement of consumerization topics will only increase in 2013. In fact, nearly... read more

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