The ZoneDefense mobile device monitoring tool from AirPatrol takes into account the mobile device's location and situation before enforcing security policies.
Recognizing
that security is dynamic and protection needs can change based on context,
AirPatrol unveiled ZoneDefense, a mobile device monitoring platform that takes
into account where the device is located and what is happening around it.
With
ZoneDefense, enterprises can detect any mobile device on its premises and track
the location, AirPatrol said Aug. 16. ZoneDefense also checks whether the
devices are compliant according to company policy and enforces rules based on
the location and on context, such as whose devices are nearby or what is
happening.
Any
mobile device detected, regardless of whether it has been issued by the company
or is an employee's personal one, can follow ZoneDefense-defined policies to
restrict certain functions or perform certain tasks, AirPatrol said. For
example, ZoneDefense can allow file sharing if the employee is in his office,
but disable it when the employee moves into a conference room.
Outgoing
tools and Bluetooth can be disabled on all mobile devices inside an executive boardroom
prior to a confidential meeting. Enterprises can also configure ZoneDefense to
send out an alert if the employee or guest brings an unapproved or unauthorized
device, such as a personal smartphone or tablet, into a secure location, such
as a boardroom or a trading floor.
"ZoneDefense
revolutionizes the way we monitor and manage the very fluid and ubiquitous
mobile device layer through intelligence," stated Tom Kellermann, CTO of
AirPatrol.
AirPatrol
discussed the need for mobile intelligence when managing mobile devices in the
enterprise in a recent whitepaper. Mobile devices are capable, intelligent
machines that can pose a significant risk to corporate data. For example, with
such devices users could record audio or video or surreptitiously take photos
at unacceptable times, such as during a presentation. Security policies with
"situational awareness" are necessary to monitor and detect these
types of unauthorized use in at-risk environments, AirPatrol said.
"Defense
in depth begins with the acceptance that remote access policies must evolve to
manage the risk posed by smart devices, providing context awareness to those
devices," according to the whitepaper.
Titled
"Mobile Risk Management: A Gap Analysis," AirPatrol's whitepaper
identifies six key threats facing enterprises: authentication, virus scanning,
data leakage, Web filtering, app security and mobile intelligence. Each of the
identified gaps are ways attackers compromise the mobile device, such as
malware that intercepts one-time use passwords sent as text messages, infected
legitimate apps and Websites, and unencrypted data being read by a third party.
Instead
of a highly restrictive blanket policy protecting corporate assets, ZoneDefense
aims to give employees flexibility in using the devices based on the current
location and context, said Dennis Pollutro, CEO of AirPatrol.
ZoneDefense
goes beyond typical access controls and data protections prevalent in many
enterprise mobile device management platforms. Device tracking is made possible
by utilizing commercial wireless bands and local WiFi networks. In order to be
context-aware, the enterprise has to be able to treat traffic to and from
mobile devices differently based on location and to enforce appropriate
security policies. For example, the employee might be able to log in to the
corporate mail server using just the login credentials when in his office, but
require two-factor authentication when in the parking lot, AirPatrol wrote in
its whitepaper.
"There
is a prevalent security threat as many personal devices are brought into the
work environment," said Pollutro.
BlackBerry
smartphones and iOS devices, including both the iPhone and iPad, are currently
supported. Support for the Android mobile operating system is expected later in
2011.
Email
Print
