The temporary access contractors need to corporate network, data, and applications, requires IT to impose hefty security measures. However, IT must balance security with end-user productivity on the devices they desire to use. Check out the infographic below to see how IT currently balances the two for the contract workforce!

IT is stuck in the middle of needing to secure critical corporate data, apps, networks and end-users wanting to use the latest devices to be more productive in their day-to-day work. This balancing act is breaking the backs of IT and legacy solutions…

To see how IT is currently attempting this balance, check out the latest infographic:

If you’ve spent the last few years sequestered in an office writing on a typewriter and waiting for your rotary phone to ring, you might have missed the introduction of the BYOD trend and the dramatic effect of mobility on how people do business today. For those of us not suck in the Mad Men era, it has become increasingly clear that the same technology that has brought about increased flexibility in the workplace, has also created new challenges in information and device management.

These two recent articles from TechTarget and Tools Journal, discuss trends in BYOD, challenges created by new mobile technology, and the solutions—including MokaFive—making it possible for the enterprise to deal with, and even benefit from, this changing mobile landscape.

TechTarget: Desktop Virtualization Companies Take on Mobility 

A recent article for TechTarget, Gabe Knuth discusses the trend of desktop virtualization companies adopting a decidedly mobile focus. The article mentions MokaFive’s mobility package aimed at mobile information management and hints that M5 is also “expertly poised to do mobile application management also, should the company decide to go down that road.”

Tools Journal: BYOD Round Up

In his BYOD round up for Tools Journal, Ritu Saxena discusses innovative updates and new solutions that make BYOD adoption safe and its deployment and maintenance simple for enterprises. Included in this round up is M5, which Saxena describes as “a solution from MokaFive that transforms iPhones and iPads into true Enterprise-class, business computing devices.”

 Still basing your BYOD strategy on protecting the device? Get with the times! Find out how MokaFive can help your organization embrace today’s mobile trends by test-driving MokaFive Suite with iOS today!

(Image Credit: Jeff Zelevansky / Reuters via NBC News)

If you’ve been holding on to VMware ACE since VMware quietly mentioned that they were ending the product’s availability, it’s time to stop living in 2011.

As you’re likely already aware, VMware announced that they will discontinue support and maintenance of the ACE product later this year. (That’s right, you only have 236 days—give or take—before the support and maintenance for VMware ACE is no more.) What you might not be aware of is that there’s already a very viable replacement for VMware’s ACE: MokaFive.

Have we spiked your curiosity yet? Check out our document of frequently asked questions about VMware ACE migration and the following message from MokaFive’s Senior VP of Marketing, David Appelbaum to learn more about your best replacement for the ACE product.

Contact us now to give MokaFive a test drive and find out how we can assist you with your VMware ACE migration.

For anyone who thought BYO was simply nothing but an IT fad or a cheap way to throw a party, Gartner has some new news for you: “38% of companies will stop issuing company-owned devices by the year 2016.”  That’s a pretty big number, but with the proliferation of mobile devices into popular society, I can believe it.

Back when the BYO trend was young, many people were forced to carry two mobile devices: one corporate issued, and one personal.  The introduction and popularity of the iPhone motivated their users to stealthily create workarounds and other IT headaches just so they could be productive on the cool device of their choice.  Instead of IT fighting that social trend (good luck) by creating restrictive user policies, users in most BYOD equipped enterprises now have the freedom of device choice.

Recently in IT publications, AirWatch CEO John Marshall has been contributing to the speculative pitter-patter about the “unknowns” and negatives of BYOD programs.  Why would he do that?  Let’s take a few steps back take a look at what AirWatch does.  AirWatch is an Enterprise class MDM solution that allows for strict corporate policies to be applied to all mobile devices being used on a corporate network.  Their solution applies to the entire device, no matter if it is personal or corporate owned.  This, essentially is “big brother,” and this is how AirWatch “mitigates risk.” That notion is enough to cause some worry within employees who are using personal devices for work.  MokaFive’s solution on the other hand, creates an elastic perimeter around the data, no matter which device that data might be found on.  This is a clear, distinguishing aspect of our solution that instills security within the users (your employees) of MokaFive.  We (and your IT Dept.) only care about the data!

For instance, one article saying “employees are beginning to sense companies taking advantage of BYOD by intruding on personal time to get free work time.”  Marshall follows by saying “I anticipate a bunch of little [lawsuits], then something big will happen that’ll be a class action and become headline news.”

Maybe we should stop right here and classify enterprise environments.  There are companies that work on an hourly basis and charge workers strictly for time spent working.  There are also companies that pay workers on a salary, and therefore are paid by the work that they produce.  Each one of these classes of companies should have different BYOD policies in place, clearly outlining their terms of use with company data.  With today’s device management systems, it is highly possible to set policies in place that determine the hours that corporate email is sent and received.

Another quote by CEO Marshall that stuck out to me was one about using personal apps.  He says, “A helpdesk technician notices than an employee’s device has a lot of personal apps about a health problem- and mentions his concern to the employee…” First of all, any competent IT manager should have chosen a solution like M5 that clearly separates corporate applications and sensitive data from the rest of an employee’s personal stuff.  Second of all, any employee trained in IT regulations would never go up to an employee and ask about a medical problem…and if they did, get ready to set off a corporate wide firestorm.   These kinds of articles do nothing good for the enterprise community, because BYOD is coming whether you’re on board or not!

Separate fact from fiction with MokaFive.  Take a test drive today to learn what real data management is all about!

Although VDI has been touted as the most economical, efficient way to manage desktop, server-side solutions pose serious drawbacks—including massive infrastructure investment, huge data-center power bills, and the need for ample bandwidth and high Internet speeds. What if your organization could confer the benefits of VDI at a much lower cost than server-based options? (Spoiler: You can!)

The Server-side VDI Alternative: Client-side VDI

Unlike server-side VDI, client-side virtualization runs images from central servers connected to desktops via a remote desktop protocol. This allows for central management, while executing on the local device itself.

In this video, John Whaley, CTO of MokaFive, further discusses the benefits and drawbacks of client-side VDI, as well as the pros and cons of server-side VDI.

Interested in seeing for yourself how M5’s client-side virtualization provides a practical security solution to growing BYOD and mobility trends? Test drive MokaFive today!  

In a recent article published by TechTarget’s Gabe Knuth, he introduces Parallels Management Suite for SCCM as a solution to Mac Management in the Enterprise.  Managing Macs for use in an enterprise environment is no small feat.  Security is easily the number one concern when employees start bringing in personal Macs to use for work, and to say the new Parallels offering satisfies that concern is untrue.

Sure, both MokaFive and Parallels will allow you to run a Windows virtual desktop on a Mac or Windows host, but there are differences in domain join support, rolling out updates, security, UX, and overall flexibility.  When a new employee joins a company, there are required steps taken to onboard that user, and most of the burden is placed on IT to deal with it.  That remains the same with Parallels Management Suite (here on out known as PMS), in that users still require assistance when trying to join a corporate domain. MokaFive has always enabled IT departments to automate that process, further delivering a seamless user experience to employees.  If an employee downloads a malicious virus that corrupts their VM, users of PMS will be forced to reinstall their entire OS image, therefore losing all user installed apps, data, and settings.   Another disadvantage to PMS is the lack of full rollback capabilities for image updates.  It is possible, but customers will need to script it, and deliver it through SCCM (hardly a convenient process for IT).

Parallels Management Suite does allow IT to set up a local update server, or use an SCCM plug-in to manage updates to Parallels Desktop clients.  When compared to MokaFive’s automated approach, IT can issue a company-wide update with the click of a mouse, right from the management console.  Need to oversee which apps employees are using while at work?  Guess what, no app management with Parallels.

MokaFive’s security architecture essentially encapsulates a secure container around everything that is important.  Seven layers of policy-based security lock down user data across all devices, no matter which they are using.  Add in AD 2-factor Authentication, and all data on the virtual disk is encrypted.  Can PMS offer the same?  Nope.

All in all, while Parallels Management Suite pushes Parallels towards an enterprise capable solution they still have a ways to go.  Securing devices and data for use in corporate environments demand for security features to be woven in at every level.  You can’t just slap features on top of a consumer-focused product and call it ready for enterprise deployment.

In the meantime, take a free trial by MokaFive and discover what a secure and seamless user experience is really like…

Evidence to date has been conclusive that Apple’s mobile operating system tends to dominate the enterprise. However, according to a recent report by Citrix, there are four industries where Android dominates: communication services, healthcare, transportation, and non-profit.

So, what makes these industries different from other enterprise verticals? What aspects of these devices are being considered when choosing between Android and iOS? The following are three factors organizations within these enterprise verticals may have considered when choosing Android over iOS:

Factor #1: Security

In a recent CITEworld article titled “In these four industries, Android totally dominates iOS,” author Chris Nerney argues that Android’s greatest impediment to the enterprise is security fears, because Google’s open-source mobile platform is a prime target for malware. In fact, according to a report by NQ Mobile, “more than 32.8 million Android devices were infected over the course of 2012, up more than 200 percent from 2011.”

Although security is a major impediment for Android in the enterprise, it has not hindered overall adoption. For organizations concerned about other factors—more so than security—and organizations equipped with policies to deal with potential malware threats, Android is a viable option for their mobile workforce.

Factor #2: Cost

As Nerney points out in his article, the industry verticals where Android appears to be dominating have a common theme: they tend to be mobile field service organizations. Although many of these professions—including healthcare workers and administrative staff—are often part part of a highly distributed workforce (thus contributing to the need for mobile devices) smaller profit margins within the industry may mean they have less to spend on mobile devices. With a lower price-point, Android devices seem to be winning over iOS—and sometimes even laptops—in industries where budgets are tight.

Lower price-points also mean that organizations can be less concerned with the physical device. As Tom Maxwell, Chief strategy office for Homecare Homebase, explained in another recent CITEworld article, the low price-point of some of these Android devices, specifically the Samsung Galaxy Tab, devices makes them “almost disposable.”

Factor #3: Flexibility 

In the same article about a home health care company that opted for Galaxy Tabs over iPads, author Todd R. Weiss explains that the various sizes and configurations in which Android devices are available was another reason that the organization chose Android devices over iOS.

Security, cost, and flexibility are all compelling factors for an organization to consider when implementing mobile devices. When organizations must choose which of these factors are most important to the success of their business, the hardware that best supports those needs is likely be adopted by that organization and others within the industry.

However, what if your organization could provide security, a CFO-friendly price tag, and the ability to manage every computer and device—without requiring employees to use specific hardware? In the age of BYOD and IT consumerization, MokaFive is providing just that solution. M5 uses virtualization technology to create a secure corporate environment using employees’ devices—including iPads and iPhones. That means that your organization can choose the best solution based on all these compelling factors, not just one or two.

What factors does your organization consider when deciding what type of mobile device to implement? Is your organization strictly Android, iOS, or a combination of the two? Leave a comment below to let us know.

(Image Credit: CC incredibleguy)

There’s no doubt about it, the trend of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) has caused a huge shift in user thinking. What was once only a work computer is now a personal computer, and what was once only a personal mobile device, is now a device that employees want to use for business.

As the prevalence of BYOD causes the line between personal and corporate devices to blur, organizations look for solutions to ever-growing mobile device management dilemmas. In two recent articles from Yahoo! Canada and ZDNet, MokaFive leaders discuss factors fueling the trend of BYOD and how MokaFive can help organizations overcome challenges caused the BYOD trend.

Yahoo! Canada: Why mobile device management needs consumer ambassadors 

Shane Shick’s recent article for Yahoo! Canada discusses the mobile device management challenges facing businesses today. In the article, MokaFive CEO Dave Robbins explains that the trend of BYOD is driven, at least in part, by employees who are putting pressure on the companies to be able to use the devices they want.

ZDNet: MokaFive M5 Makes BYOD Using iPhones/iPads Secure

In a recent article for ZDNet, Dan Kusnetzky discusses why secure and encrypted workspace, secure browsing, and secure or cloud-based storage are requirements for organizations that have BYOD programs. He goes on to explain how M5 uses virtualization technology to create a secure corporate environment using employees’ own devices, even iPad and iPhones.

“By encapsulating processing and data within secure, virtualized environments, [using MokaFive,] it is more easily possible for organizations to allow staff-members to use their own iPads, and iPhones in a secure corporate environment.”

Interested in learning more about how MokaFive can help your organization overcome mobile device management challenges caused by BYOD? Find out how to test drive MokaFive Suite with iOS.

(Photo Credit: CC Robert Scoble)

IT used to be concerned about securing their corporate network, computers, and the data stored on them.   The move towards portable laptops and notebooks represented a huge shift in IT’s thinking – allowing critical assets and information to physically leave the company’s 4 walls!  It was also a huge shift in user thinking – a computer was no longer just a business tool but a personal tool as well. Personal-use laptops and notebooks are as common today as landline telephones were 25 years ago. The BYOx strategy embraced by many leading companies is driven by that recognition as well as the fact that getting IT out of the end-user hardware purchase and support business is sound business – as long as security and compliance policies are worked out from the start.  Now, with the massive growth in smartphone and tablet technology within the consumer market, IT departments have a new challenge…”how do we secure personal, mobile devices?”  The biggest challenge that I see is with personal privacy – and how IT departments choose to position themselves.  Will they align with the employee or force unwanted corporate policies and heavy-handed management infrastructure upon them?

Clearly separating personal and work environments from within a single device, effectively minimizing how many devices an employee has to bring to work is now the main goal.  Why? Simple…because it’s what employees want. People are tired of carrying two laptops, two phones, and a tablet for a two day trip. Field reps don’t want to carry a laptop when they could just carry a tablet. But, to date, the kinds of management tools available to IT cripple device performance to such an extent that they become virtually unusable.  Why? Because these device management technologies use the same model as endpoint computer management – control and lock down the device and you’ll discourage bad behavior and protect your network.

The difference today is that devices are disposable. Any attempt to manage and protect the device is wasted effort and will not ultimately prevent security exploits or network infection.  If organizations are going to reap the rewards that a BYOx/mobility strategy can bring, IT needs to reassess its priorities. The bottom line is that Data is constant, and needs to follow the user wherever they may find themselves and consumed in the most secure manner possible.  By focusing on universal and secure data access, MokaFive is continually closing the divide between IT and employees, business and personal.

What are your thoughts? How do you think you can best secure your environment and let your employees use the devices they want? We’d love to know your thoughts below!