Secure network access specialist Bradford Networks and mobile security management provider MobileIron announced a partnership to deliver an integrated network access control (NAC) and mobile-device management (MDM) solution aimed at businesses looking to make their bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs more secure.
The integrated solution uses Bradford Networks’ Network Sentry SmartEdge Platform, an open application programmer interface (API) that enables security, mobility management and wired/wireless vendors to integrate with Network Sentry and create holistic solutions for secure BYOD.
MobileIron’s Advanced Mobile Management solution currently creates a virtual perimeter to secure mobile delivery of business data and applications, while Bradford Networks’ NAC solution provisions safe, role-based network access, based on user, device, location and time of day.
“The influx of personal devices on corporate networks can create security risks and management headaches,” Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy for MobileIron, said in a statement. “The integration of our MobileIron platform with Bradford Networks’ NAC solution gives organizations the critical security they need at both the device and network access levels. The result is a stronger, more secure BYOD environment.”
With the integrated solution, businesses have the ability to isolate noncompliant devices (such as jail-broken devices) and provide self-remediation through a Web portal and dynamically adjust a device’s access rights based on status inputs from MobileIron—for example, if the MobileIron agent is uninstalled or the device is noncompliant.
In addition, IT administrators identify corporate and personal devices based on MobileIron’s classification information and then provision appropriate network access based on predefined policies for each user and device and automatically provision full network access to corporate devices that have the MobileIron agent installed and are compliant.
“To ensure the security and integrity of devices—both corporate and employee-owned—as well as protect access to corporate resources and assets, companies must deploy a comprehensive security strategy—a BYOD Blueprint—that encompasses network access control and mobile-device management,” Tom Murphy, chief marketing officer of Bradford Networks, said in a statement. “MobileIron’s deep expertise and experience with enterprise mobility management make them an integral component to a successful BYOD program. We’re excited to expand our roster of leading BYOD ecosystem technology partners with the addition of MobileIron, and to deliver comprehensive security solutions for BYOD.”
Although 80 percent of respondents agree that BYOD is the “new normal,” only 45 percent have a formal BYOD policy in their workplace and only 51 percent were considering desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) as a solution to access data from their mobile devices, according to a recent survey of more than 700 IT decision makers by managed cloud services provider NaviSite.
According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents said they were very concerned or extremely concerned when thinking about securing enterprise data on employee mobile devices—one of the biggest concerns facing IT executives with BYOD policies is securing company data.
The NaviSite study is one of many illustrating the challenges facing the implementation of BYOD policies and the numerous concerns IT pros face. In an Aruba survey of more than 3,000 employees worldwide, just over half (51 percent) of U.S. workers said their IT departments do nothing to ensure the security of corporate files and applications on their personal devices.