How Good for Enterprise works with iOS 5

What's happening

Apple iOS 5 brings to market new and improved Mobile Device Management (MDM) capabilities. And that's good news, as more employees are bringing their iPhones and iPads to work.

Some of the biggest enterprise pain points addressed by iOS 5 include:

• Preventing employees from forwarding corporate email
• Preventing employees from backing up data to iCloud
• Forcing a selective wipe in the event a user deletes their configuration profile.

There's room for improvement

While iOS 5 now allows IT to keep employees from forwarding corporate email to their personal email accounts, without a third-party solution such as Good for Enterprise, employees can still cut, copy, and paste corporate email contents to another mobile application, such as a third-party editor.

In addition, iOS 5 users may still be required to enter a complex password whenever they use their device — whether for work or personal use. More often than not, users will complain, forcing IT to remove the password requirement. Good for Enterprise, on the other hand, can allow IT administrators to set passwords at the application level.

In both these cases—and even with iOS 5—data loss could occur, because stronger security controls are required at the application level. Good Technology provides this level of application security control with the introduction of Good Dynamics, just announced last week. Essentially, Good Dynamics provides mobile application developers with the ability to wrap/containerize their application with the same security controls Good Technology uses for its own email, calendar, contact management, and browser functions—available in Good for Enterprise.

When combined with iOS 5 MDM, Good's industry-leading mobile security and compliance allows enterprises to more broadly support iOS devices, in both Bring Your Own Device and company-owned deployments.

What's included in iOS 5

Management

• Know immediately when users remove MDM profile
• Specify what device data to collect (access rights)
• Detect battery life status

Managed Apps

• Designate apps as "managed"
• Remote install managed apps (requires user acceptance)
• Remove/delete managed apps on demand
• Remove/delete all managed apps when MDM profile is removed
• Prevent managed app data backup to iTunes and iCloud

Email Policies

• Enable S/MIME encryption
• Mail restrictions: Prevent moving/forwarding email across accounts (e.g., corporate to personal)
• Prevent third-party apps from accessing corporate email

iCloud Restrictions

• Disable data backup to iCloud

Roaming

• Disable voice and data roaming

Volume Purchasing Program (VPP)

• Manage, distribute, and track redemption codes

WiFi

• Auto-join WiFi networks

Good for Enterprise Enhances iOS 5

Good for Enterprise extends iOS 5 device and application management capabilities with enhanced security, data loss prevention, and compliance features. This includes support for:

• FIPS-certified encryption
• Strong password policies that do not impact the user's personal experience
• Preventing cut / copy / paste of email content to personal apps, social networking sites, and other cloud services outside the enterprise's visibility and control
• Prevents attachments from being opened in third-party viewers and potentially leaked
• Prevents opening ports in the enterprise's firewall by having a NOC-based architecture
• Provides a secure browser, to eliminate the use of VPN
• Remote wipes enterprise data at the application level
• Enforces strong password requirements at the application level
• Provides Compliance Manager capabilities that ensure devices comply to minimum requirements, such as jailbreak detection and OS version

Moreover, relying on iOS native solutions does not cover other platforms. Good's solution expands the choices of your employees by having one solution for multiple platforms (BYOD).

The proliferation of mobile devices in the enterprise has created a need for security and management unlike anything IT has previously seen. Corporate employees use their smartphones and tablets around the clock to stay productive and connected. It's critical for IT to meet employee demands accordingly, while ensuring that corporate data and communications are kept secure.

Good for Enterprise — iOS forthcoming release will further extend iOS security and management capabilities. Stay tuned.