iCloud and MDM - a good thing.

ElcomSoft discovers yet another way to access information stored in Apple iOS devices by retrieving online backups from Apple iCloud storage. The company updates Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker, a tool to retrieve user content from password-protected backups created by Apple iOS devices and BlackBerry smartphones, with the ability to retrieve iPhones’ user data from iCloud. No lengthy attacks and no physical access to an iPhone device are required: the data is downloaded directly onto investigators’ computers (PC) from Apple remote storage facilities in plain, unencrypted form. Backups to multiple devices registered with the same Apple ID can be effortlessly retrieved. Investigators need to know user’s original Apple ID and password in order to gain access to online backups.

You can read the entire news release at http://www.elcomsoft.com/PR/iCloud_120515_en.pdf

So now how to stop this?  Fortunatley the MDM world has an answer.  As part of the core suite of Mobile Deivce Managment tools that MSC offers, a default policy can be set to disable iCloud backup all together.  This is a parental control and can not be user overridden.  

Can you afford for your company data to be backed up to iCloud?  If not talk to us today to discuss your options.

What does 2012 have in store for Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and iOS?

We read a lot about mobile here at MSC.  When we found this we thought we should share it.  This really is a great summation of the mobile market for 2012.  Will it play out this way or will we take another 90 degree turn?

Research In Motion's decision last month to replace long-time co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis with COO Thorsten Heins crystallized the challenges that remain for the BlackBerry maker. The company must push back against declining market share in the U.S. market, deliver its BlackBerry 10 platform on time and with perfect execution and convince consumers, carriers and developers alike that RIM is a company worth betting on. One of RIM's staunchest U.S. allies, AT&T Mobility thinks RIM has a place at the smartphone table--but CMO David Christopher recently noted that RIM needs to "innovate quickly and execute." 

Click to read more ...

iOS holds 94% of the enterprise market in 4Q 2011.

Good Technolgies release quarterly smartphone market statistics based on the number of activations they see flowing through their Network Operations Center (NOC).  This data is especially useful for us to be able to gauge the real uptake of smart devices in the enterprise.  Most of the market data that is published includes the rapidly growing consumer market which can sometime skew the results.

Key Points from the report include:

• iOS tablets represented roughly 94 percent of total activations for Q4 2011
• The iPhone 4S represented 31 percent of all activations for the quater

Click to read more ...

MobileIron - v4.2 MR1 Now Available - Support for iOS 5

MobileIron has officially released their v4.2 MR1 code for the VSP for general availability.  This MR1 release is important in that it will allow all customers to support iOS 5 when Apple officially launches iOS 5 general availability.  This release will not enable any new iOS 5 product functionality, but rather allow for devices running iOS 5 to be recognized properly in the UI, and establish valid MDM relationships during the registration process. 

Devices running iOS 5 will not establish a successful MDM relationship against a VSP running v4.2 or earlier, so it is important to upgrade to the MR1 release prior to the official launch of iOS 5.

It's a busy time for MSC in the next few weeks making sure all our managed service customers are on this release by the time iOS 5 ships.  With your users able to take an update on go live day... is your company ready to move at consumer speed to go with it?  If not talk to us about a Mobility Managed service today.

Mobility Monthly - July 2011

Once a month I like to reflect back on the announcements that are shaping the mobile world as we know it today. This month includes: iOS 5 Betas, Zitmo, Windows Phone Mango, Mozilla and more.

Click to read more ...

CellCast App 4.2.1 for iPad/iPhone released

What's new in Version 4.2.1

Improved player for accessing podcasts
Support for optional "short cuts" menu system.
Update to password process for self-registration
Minor bug fixes.

MobileIron 4.2 iOS Client Coming Soon

MobileIron will be submitting our updated iOS v4.2 client to Apple for official review, and we expect it to be made available on the App Store soon.  Our iOS client submission is in anticipation of our upcoming v4.2 VSP release. 

We are notifying all of our customers in advance to ensure that everyone is aware that the new iOS client will be made available shortly.   

Click to read more ...

Apple iOS Security Flaw Discovered in Germany

It is interesting to note that the Germans were the people who found the last major security issue with
Apples iOS mobile operating system some months back.   The embedded video is worth a watch.

-----------------

Apple Inc. said Thursday it is working to resolve a security hole in its iPhone and other mobile products that German authorities warned could allow cyber criminals to access confidential information or intercept phone conversations.

Click to read more ...

Apple Becomes Australia's Number One Mobile Brand

It is very rare for us to see mobile device stats for the Australian market (most are US based) so it is great to see IDC publishing some Aussie data.  Keep it coming.

Australia certainly had a great jump start with iPhone with all 3 carriers offering the iPhone 3G on day 1 unlike the single carrier options of other countries.  We are quite sure this has something to do with the numbers below but that to one side... wow what a decline by Nokia.

Click to read more ...

Defence reveals guidelines to harden iPad

As a company focused on Mobile and with an office in Canberra we are constantly in discussions with Government Agencies wanting to deploy iOS devices in particular iPads.  Security is always top of the agenda.  The article below and attached PDF will give some insight into the the process of securing an iOS device within the Australia Government.

The document already seems a little out of date (Long live MobileMe) given the changes that are being made with iOS 5 so it will be interesting to see the final version in September.  Stay tuned.  More to come.  The question is... can the Government keep up with the speed of change of the iOS platform?

Click to read more ...