Software that can secure the myriad mobile devices coming into the workplace is getting a lot of attention from corporate IT departments, and solutions are coming from all parts of the wireless ecosystem. This week Dell became the latest player to underline its serious commitment to software that secures mobile devices, introducing a new mobile management system through its KACE subsidiary.
“As a new generation of employees comes into the workforce, that grew up on Internet and gaming and social interaction they bring new expectations that IT cannot ignore anymore,” says Saranya Babu, senior marketing manager at Dell KACE. “So BYOD is not a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity that IT needs to address.” Babu says Dell’s research shows that it is not uncommon for workers to use three or four different devices for work, especially if their company supplies one of them.
Dell’s move into software is not just a way to sell more hardware; its software solutions are tailored to devices that Dell does not even sell. The K3000 solution extends systems management capabilities to enforce security policies for iOS and Android devices. Of course Dell has a longstanding relationship with Microsoft, and Babu says that the company is awaiting Windows 8 APIs in order to start extending the product to Windows devices. The KACE 3000 enables IT managers to push applications to both corporate and personal devices, and to view all mobile devices, PCs and servers from a single console.
KACE, a California company purchased by Dell in 2010, sees management of mobile devices as a natural extension of its current business, remote management of personal computers. KACE is integrating solutions from QUest, another of Dell’s recent acquisitions, to extend its solutions to mobile devices.
Malware is big concern for many companies, and one that security software vendors are racing to address. Some apps that seem innocuous can have unintended impacts on the network. “You may not think they are malware, but they could send the entire corporate address book to a third party server,” says David Jevans, CEO of Marble Cloud. Marble Cloud recently shipped a software solution that blocks devices from corporate networks if they are running certain applications; the trick is knowing which applications to target. Dell’s KACE 3000 solution can also block a device from the network if it detects apps that are suspect.
