Laura Smith over at SearchCIO recently covered the explosive growth of the iPhone and other smartphones in the business sector, and how that growth is really testing the limits of existing security policy. Over 325 million mobile devices purchased in one quarter shows just how massive the presence of these devices is. The real challenge is integrating the management of all that information storage power into a security approach dating back to when systems looked more like small fridges and were stuck under your desk, or locked in a secure server room.
Especially when control of those devices is no longer a clear cut matter:
"Having personal devices on company networks can pose difficult legal challenges if expectations are not set, particularly in the European Union."
No kidding.
There's a lot of feverish concern (probably rightly so) over how best to provide security management for the big, bad Cloud. Many organizations have managed to keep cloud implementations at least somewhat under control for now, stepping carefully into the murky waters rather than plunging in, head-first. But when it comes to mobile devices, it seems that the option to take it slowly has long-since passed. The massively mobile workforce is here, now, and they are walking out the door with access to a lot of sensitive data.
Is the iPhone secure enough for business? Well, Forrester Research seems to think so (and Andy Jaquith is a bright chap, so I don't doubt him.) Are businesses ready for iPhone security?
Ah, there's the rub...