Jan/Feb 2006

How do you handle 'soft' upgrades and security enhancements on mobile computer devices, and generally keep track of them all? It's a growing challenge, but Sharon Clancy finds there are new solutions at hand

Getting mobile computers into the hands of drivers or field workers is just one part of the complex process of rolling out a mobility solution. Managing those devices once they're out there is a whole separate challenge; and the more devices you put out there, the more demanding this becomes.

Management doesn't mean just doing physical repairs; it also involves updating the software and installing new versions, applying new security "patches", and correcting operational glitches as they arise. You might also want to monitor when and how the devices are being used, and whether essential applications have been deleted and inappropriate ones loaded.

You don't want to be bringing all those devices back to base every time you need to do this; you need a system that can handle it remotely. When you consider the sheer numbers of mobile workers out there and the proliferation of wireless devices including smartphones, it's enough to give any IT manager headache.

 

Fortunately, help is at hand. Indeed, this kind of functionality is now attracting lots of interest from application and middleware supplies, as well as from managed data services companies and even the wireless network operators.

Middleware suppliers are making a particularly strong bid for the mobile device management market. They are extending their security and device management applications to include over-the-air collection of data about the actual device, its use and the applications running on it.

Intellisync's Mobile Systems Management, for example, comprises a "light client" that can be installed easily from an intranet link, with the first sync involving minimal user effort. The server can then collect detailed asset data, making it easy for the user-company to track hardware and software inventory even if users choose their own devices.

Diagnose-and-fix features are included, and device backup and configuration management are provided to restore data should a device get damaged or lost. System and asset data is collected at the server level, and managers can examine logs and drill down to get the data they need to fix the problem.

Sybase subsidiary Afaria's device management solution uses a Microsoft .Net-based console, which proactively manages all the devices, applications, data and communications. Afaria says one of the issues facing large companies is the sheer range of devices that mobile workers use - from laptops and tablets to handheld devices and smartphones. The all have different security and encryption protocols and standards, the company says, and need different responses should they get lost or stolen.

Afaria's Inventory Manager scans and captures detailed hardware and software asset information from mobile devices, tracking what hardware and software is deployed in the field and monitoring the status of each device. It also takes a snapshot of each device's systems file and directory structure. Software Manager deploys software based on inventory attributes; it won't, for example, try to send an application to a device not capable of running it.

Audit trails ensure devices are password-protected and loaded with the appropriate security software and "locking down" devices that are reported missing. The software also scans periodically to help reunite users with misplaced as opposed to lost devices.

Managed data specialists such as Cognito are also poised to become more active in mobile device management. They already offer one-stop fault diagnosis and repair services to customers. As Cognito points out, when a mobile device stops working, attributing blame is not the top priority: getting the device operational again as quickly as possible is, so that the worker can continue to be productive.

Adding features such as device auditing is relatively straightforward, Cognito says. The company routinely collects data about how many devices are on its network, when they were last used and so on.

Smartphones

The new emphasis on data rather than voice traffic poses new challenges for the network operators. Handsets are getting more complex, and there is realisation that managing them remotely will become more of an issue if for no other reason than to protect revenue. The networks have learnt from the low take-up of WAP services that simple user interfaces are essential. They are determined not to make the same errors with smartphones and data applications and the revenue-earning opportunities that go with them.

"There is bound to be a rise in reports of devices not working," says Tim De Luca-Smith, communications manager at mobile management specialists SmartTrust. "The debate then moves to whether it is the firmware (that is, the handset) or software that is at fault. For the networks, non-functioning devices mean lost revenue. The network itself may only be responsible for SIM-card faults, but until the hardware problem is fixed they will still lose revenue. So it is in their best interests to deploy solutions that allow them to diagnose handset faults over the air."

While over-the-air configuration of wireless computers and PDAs is now fairly well established, some suppliers have found that the internal architecture on some phones or smartphones, whether with Windows or Symbian operating systems, makes it trickier to accomplish.

However, the latest smartphones overcome that problem where it exists because they have something called SyncML. This is the protocol for synchronisation and device management of smartphones developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), the standards organisation for the mobile telephone and wireless network companies.

SyncML has been developed primarily for over-the-air synchronisation of calendar, contacts, task and email for mobile workers linked to corporate Microsoft Exchange services and SyncML-enabled mobile phones, but it also means the device is enabled for remote diagnostics.

Conventional PC network management solutions can be made to connect wirelessly to notebooks, but often not with PDAs or mobile phones, which tend to be thin-client devices with less capability to store lots of data on board.

That means routinely checking and managing the applications on the mobile device, points out Carlsten Brinkschulte, chief executive of Synchronica, a mobile device management specialist. "You might not worry too much about what applications and files employees are storing on their notebooks, but give the same freedom to workers with PDAs or smartphones, and they will quickly use up all the memory, compromising the device's functionality."

De Luca Smith of SmartTrust thinks another revenue stream for network operators could be automatic data back-up. "As more mobile workers rely on the handset, backup for emails and documents as well as the contacts list is becoming more important, for both the worker and the company."

Security

Compared with office computers or wireless laptops, smartphones are not well protected." Many don't even require a password to turn them on and access the data," points out De Luca Smith. He predicts that some of the mobile management issues could devolve to the network operators, who will be able to identify the handset, scan it for virus protection and automatically load such protection on to the device if it is not already resident there.

Any over-the-air mobile management system should include wipe facilities, says Brinkschulte, especially if smartphones are deployed. "Wipe facilities allow you to wipe any data held on the device remotely without the user having to verify the delete procedure."

Compared with conventional mobile phones, the increased functionality of smartphones makes them more vulnerable to virus attack. That's why companies such as SmarTrust believe networks will adopt solutions that allows them to manage the devices on their network remotely.

"The business model for this is quite new. Even though there is awareness that mobile viruses pose a potential threat, there is not a mass market for protection services at the moment," says Tim De Luca Smith. "The threat will grow with proliferation of smartphones and Bluetooth connectivity. We believe that once smartphones reach 30 per cent market penetration, the networks will act. None of them wants to be responsible for distributing a virus."

No, indeed. Think what that would do for revenues.