Mobile Enterprise: Security on a Chip, Windows Phone 7 Demoed at TechEd

This week the mobile enterprise aims to make security a hardware issue, attempts to unify mobile and desktop devices and Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7.

Intel Acquires McAfee, Wants to Put Security on a Chip

Last week Intel announced that it was acquiring McAfee, the second biggest security company in the world at a price of US$ 7.7 billion. Intel said that the purchase was made so that they could embed security into Intel microprocessor chips. This week, we ponder what that means exactly.

As it turns out, putting “security on a chip” is more about managing mobile devices than it is about security. It’s about making sure that mobile devices can be tracked effectively so as to ensure the security of information in cases of loss or theft. It’s also about making sure that applications downloaded can be trusted and protected across multiple operating systems, from Android to iOS4.

While these kinds of device management are already done by a variety of software employed across the enterprise, Intel’s acquisition of McAfee has the potential to move it into the hardware itself. Such deployment makes mobile management less of an operating system issue, and more of a security issue, making it harder for hackers and others to bypass a mobile device’s security mechanisms.

Citrix Delivers Central Security Management

In an attempt to make it easier to integrate consumer devices into the workplace, Citrix Systems has upgraded its XenDesktop platform with XenClient and XenVault technologies. Such upgrades will make it possible to incorporate laptop devices into central security management, otherwise known as a unified enterprise desktop virtualization strategy.

Anytime personal devices are brought into a secured environment the risk of exposing valuable information increases, making it all the more important for companies within the enterprise to employ strategies that provide a level of security that is able to restrict without limiting the flexibility and productivity of the user environment. Yet, it’s easier said than done, in most cases.

Thanks to XenDesktop and XenVault, applications can be delivered as a virtual application, ensuring that the application itself is secure no matter what device it is on.

Microsoft Presents Windows Phone 7

Move over iOS4, Microsoft is getting ready to release Windows Phone 7. At its TechEd conference last week, Microsoft demonstrated what it hopes to be the "Next Big Thing" in smartphones since the iPhone.

Designed to replace Windows Mobile, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 will be more user friendly, and will provides features similar to iPhone, Android models and HTC's Sense software in an attempt to woo users. With a user interface that shows square tiles to display basic functions and group multimedia, social networking, games and Office on the home screen, users can use the touch screen to swipe up and down and from side to side to reveal more tiles and to expand picture, music, contact and Xbox "hubs".

The phone will also include a five-megapixel camera, GPS, accelerometer and memory specifications, which will come as standard applications.

The operating system promises to integrate well with Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and Windows Office, which is bound to be a benefit for companies who are already employing Microsoft’s systems.
 

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Tags: central security management, citrix, device management, intel, mcafee, mobile, mobile enterprise, windows 7 phone

This week the mobile enterprise aims to make security a hardware issue, attempts to unify mobile and desktop devices and Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7.