Local systems management firm Columbus Technologies has unveiled Columbus Mobile, a solution for managing mobile devices.
According to the company, the solution is designed for ease-of-use and is delivered via the cloud.
Theo Fourie, sales director at Columbus Technologies, says the rollout comes at a time when more and more South African companies are allowing multiple mobile devices to access their networks.
“These devices are corporate assets and carry corporate data - they need the same level of management and protection as a PC or a laptop,” says Fourie.
He explains that the dramatic growth of enterprise mobility over the past 18 months or so is well recorded.
“For example, according to figures released by Zendesk, half the devices on corporate networks will be mobile by 2015, and just over a third of information workers will be using smartphones by the end of 2012.
“Leading analyst IDC is talking about the post-PC era - 1.3 million mobile apps are already in existence as opposed to some 75 000 for the PC, and the number of smartphones sold now comfortably outstrips PC sales.”
Mobile penetration in SA is ballooning, with local research firm World Wide Worx saying penetration, defined by active SIM cards, is already at 112%. The firm also predicts that smartphone penetration in the country could reach 80% by 2014.
Fourie urges organisation to use mobile device management tools to control corporate information that sits on these devices, so that data is protected from unauthorised access by the lock and wipe functionality.
“BYOD is creating a very new management ethos - you may only manage access and corporate data, the device belongs to the individual, so the IT department has to operate in this space.”
According to Fourie, Columbus Mobile offers automated, remote management of all mobile devices.
“The company can push out device configuration and applications or application upgrades - and remove applications when a person leaves the company. Anti-virus software and updates, likewise, can be uploaded. A remote control capability assists mobile users wherever they are.”
He explains that device security is also covered because Columbus Mobile allows the company to lock stolen or lost devices remotely or, if necessary, delete all data.
“The system can also be configured to delete data automatically if a SIM swap is performed,” he adds.
There are a number of vendors that offer mobile device management platforms in SA including Blue Turtle Technologies and Securicom, which offer Zenprise, also a hosted service.
Sybase offers another mobile management platform for Android devices only.
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