IBM invests in mobile security to protect secrets

Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, IBM General Manager Nicholas Nesbitt and Deputy President William Ruto at a recent function in Nairobi. The IBM solution creates secure systems that allow staff to use their devices without compromising the enterprise network.[PHOTO: ANDREW KILONZI/STANDARD]

Nairobi; Kenya: Technology firm IBM has unveiled its latest enterprise mobility solution, in a move set to raise the stakes in the country’s competitive technology industry.

The company last week launched IBM MobileFirst, a solution that provides a mix of consulting products and services targeted at enterprises with a special focus on mobile computing.

“The mobile device has become the primary point of Internet access for employees and users and this largely applies to the business environment,” noted IBM’s Director for Product Management Software in Africa Cory Wiegert.

“However, this also presents a challenge on how businesses are going to create effective and secure systems that allow their employees use their devices comfortably without compromising the enterprise network,” he said. IBM’s new product comes at a time when the country is witnessing increased activity in mobile computing, particularly in the area of mobile money transfer. Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) have become the latest growth frontier for Kenya’s robust consumer technology industry.

This year alone, regulators have received four proposals from service providers to operate mobile virtual networks including national carrier Kenya Airways and Equity Bank. 

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Email infrastructure.

Across the country, companies do not have mobile enterprise solutions for their employees and still focus on safeguarding the traditional desktop computing and email infrastructure.

However, data from the 2014 edition of the Kenya National Cyber Security report indicated that hackers are taking advantage of poor security on employees’ smart phones and tablets to access sensitive company information.

This has been worsened by the fact that many companies in Kenya are allowing employees to bring devices to work, allowing unfettered access to the company networks. “With the continued adoption of enterprise mobility, a growing percentage of workers are using their personal devices to access corporate resources,” states the report. “When these devices are not secured, this introduces a wide range of security threats.”

‘Bring Your Own Device’ policies have become commonplace in corporate Kenya, owing to the affordability and variety of portable consumer technology. Many companies believe that encouraging and even facilitating their employees to use laptops, tablets, and smartphones increases their productivity since they do not have to be physically present in the office to work.

At the same time, it cuts down on operational costs since companies are saved the expense of purchasing new equipment such as desktop computers. “An example of a security risk with these devices could be your child using your phone or tablet to go on Facebook or download games,” explains Silas Macharia, a security expert at IBM. 

“However, since you use these devices to access company information like emails and transactions, attackers are using them as a gateway into the company servers and the private data of the company is compromised.”

 IBM’s MobileFirst allows companies to create layers of security on the mobile devices of their employees to prevent attacks and unauthorised access. “The security layer allows users to transact their official business like office email and personal business like WhatsApp without compromising the security of the device or of the network,” states Mr Wiegert.

Other features include the ability to reformat the device if it is stolen, lost or if an unauthorised user tries to access it.