In today’s world it seems that almost everywhere you turn someone is using a smartphone, an iPad or some other mobile device. You could blame Apple or the late Steve Jobs for the introduction of the not watered down internet to mobile devices, however one could argue that it was Blackberry that really primed the pump and got the whole mobile revolution going. Either way, it was Jobs that found a way to market Apple devices worldwide and set the stage for the smartphone and tablet ubiquity we are seeing today. And that of course is what is driving the BYOD movement corporate IT is struggling to control.

According to fiercemobileit,  “BYOD is spurring a resurgence in the network access control market”. This is coming from a study which predicts that “the NAC market will increase at a 22 percent compound annual growth rate, reaching over $1 billion by 2017”.  The big three that own 70% of this market are Forescout, Juniper Networks and Cisco, and with this technology they can use it to “determine if a user and/or device should be able to gain access to a corporate network.”  NAC brings together endpoint security technology, user authentication and network security enforcement”

Mike Tilkian, VP of Business Development at Konsultek notes; “At Konsultek we prefer Forescout’s CounterACT NAC solution.  It is a robust, easily scaled platform that is proven to work well in organizations who are implementing BYOD.  Our KNACMAN, NAC as a Managed Service offering bundles all of the CounterACT platform’s benefits into a rapidly deployable and cost effective turn-key solution.”

Huge Risks…

BYOD has proven to be a huge security risk for corporations over the last couple of years and with ever changing security trends continuing to grow it can be very difficult to keep up and maintain.

We Can Help!

BYOD is a top priority at Konsultek and we ensure you get the same level of security and control in your mobile device suite that you apply to laptops and desktops. This includes the ability to identify, tag, and assign policies to both employee- and business-owned smartphones and tablets.

Interested? Please give us a call today.

As talk of BYOD dies down in some organizations, a new movement is arising; HYOD or Here’s Your Own Device. This new movement comes from the recent BYOD policies that companies have started getting used to. However instead of IT managers working around the devices employees are bringing into their network, companies are now providing their own mobile devices instead.

The idea seems logical as most IT managers have security issues with unlocked phones in their network, but is it really practical? An article from NetworkWorld says going this route is not going to “stop the invasion of mobile devices onto our enterprise networks, we are instead saying it is OK to use mobile devices, but only the ones we give you”.  Not having employees pay for the device and having free IT support are a few of many pros to the HYOD movement.  Another added bonus is that since the device will be given by the company and secured by IT, the devices won’t be of any threat to the network.

Not a Comprehensive Solution

“We do know that big organizations like hospitals, have big complications when it comes to BYOD policies since without robust NAC and BYOD policies healthcare providers can’t guarantee the security of patient data when they don’t know and can’t control how Doctors and staff are accessing it, says Konsultek’s  VP of Business Development, Mike Tilkian.   While HYOD might address a portion of the data security puzzle, it is by no means a substitute for NAC or BYOD solutions.                  Adds Tilkian, “all it takes is 1 hospital employee sending  patient information through insecure channels on any of the myriad devices that fill a hospital setting and the argument for HYOD comes up short”.

Here at Konsultek,  we  are on top the latest trends, including BYOD and mobile device security. We can provide insight and solutions to the network security issues in your organization. Interested? Give us a call.

It is true. The Executive Office of US Attorneys, which is a part of the US Department of Justice, uses Forescout’s CounterAct product to protect its network access control system (NAC).

According to ProSecurityZone,  in addition to protecting NAC, EOUSA will also implement  “endpoint compliance policies” which will affect every US Attorney’s office nationwide.  The reason why EOUSA chose CounterACT is “to advance network access policies across multiple sites, achieve greater endpoint visibility and control without requiring agents and reduce total cost of ownership”.

Mike Tilkian, Vice President of Konsultek, has this to say; “ForeScout CounterACT is the top NAC solution that we recommend to governmental, healthcare and educational organizations looking to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy network access control across a broad user base with continually changing endpoint security needs.”

This CounterAct deployment by the EOUSA is a big step in the right direction for our government being that mobile device security continues to be a huge issue with most organizations around the country and the world. Securing data on a mobile device in a large network is even more critical today since over 90 percent of finders of lost phones have accessed sensitive data. What is even scarier is that “8 out of 10 finders tried to access corporate information”.  The bottom line is that if you are not enforcing any mobile device policies on your network, you could be inviting trouble.

KONSULTEK CAN HELP

KNACMAN, Konsultek’s managed service solution for NAC is built upon the same CounterACT platform that many highly secure organizations such as the EOUSA use and can be put into use for your organization as well.

Imagine all of the benefits of ForeScout’s CounterAct with the ease, convenience and financing flexibility of a managed service.  Please call us today to discuss how KNACMAN can ease the pain of securing your organization’s network.

Did you know that a study done by the Ponemon Institute said that 51 percent of organizations had significant data loss as a result of an employee failing to secure their mobile device? What does this mean for the new BYOD mantra that some companies are adopting to cut costs? It means that companies and employees alike should take caution as Blackberry, Apple and Microsoft have some experts saying that their software is not as secure as it used to be.

The software for Blackberrys used to be the best protected, because it had a “less functional platform” meaning it was more secure. According to an article by CNN Money, “As companies toss out their aging BlackBerrys, they’re bringing on devices that are inherently more risky”. Since the software is easier to hack; the mobile devices will become a backdoor for cyberthieves to get into corporate networks and eventually having sensitive information right at their fingertips. Although technology companies are creating potential fixes for this problem, it is creating “a whole set of new challenges”.

If you have adopted the BYOD mantra at your company, this does not mean you’re doomed.  It simply means that you need to implement appropriate strategies, procedures, and technologies.  These are not simple fixes, but they are essential to fully securing your corporate network.

Fortunately, we here at Konsultek have been staying at the forefront of BYOD security.  No matter what your particular situation or size of your organization we can craft a customized solution that builds upon proven technologies such as Forescout’s CounterAct, F5’s BigIP, Fiberlink’s MaaS360 and McAfee’s EMM.

So go ahead and let your employees BYOD, while Konsultek keeps everything safe and secure.

Don’t Gamble with Your Network! Instead, Come Play
Texas Hold’em with Us!

• Date: Wednesday, November 7
• Vendor Fair, Food, Drinks: 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
• Texas Hold ‘em Lesson: 5:30 p.m.
• Texas Hold ‘em Play Begins: 6:00 p.m.
• Dinner Buffet: 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Abbington Distinctive Banquets 3 S 002 Route 53, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

The Konsultek team, our sponsors and I look forward to an exciting night of Texas Hold ‘em poker, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

Sincerely,

Judi Buckardt