Carrier IQ

Hi folks! So here’s an interesting tidbit of news. A company known as Carrier IQ has been featured in the news due to a security issue pointing out how the application can be allegedly used on smartphones.

The security researcher was then served with a takedown notice. In kind, the researcher teamed up with the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) who in turn refuted the takedown notice. Then Carrier IQ apologized and retracted the takedown notice.

At the end of the day I think everyone involved realized the error of their ways once the EFF got involved. Kudos to the EFF for protecting our rights in this digital world!

On a side note, the lesson learned here is that you shouldn’t assume your cell phone carrier isn’t spying on you without your consent!

You can read the details of the story here.

-RP

How secure is your wireless strategy?

Hi folks! So in this day and age with all the mobile devices out there, you need a secure wireless strategy. Whether you like it or not your users are going to need wireless access.

Some users will be content to use cellular networks, but the majority will prefer to do their data intensive work over wifi. At this point the day will come where management puts the screws to you and requires you to open up wireless to mobile devices.

Before you do this you will have to ensure that you have a secure strategy for implementing access for this devices, consisting of encryption, authentication and even segmented networks to make sure that compromised devices will not compromise your corporate network.

-RP

Finally got a tablet!

Hi folks! So my birthday just recently flew by and i got a great little gift from friends and family! I got a tablet!

Specifically the Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1. I have used iPads, touch pads, slates etc. But i hadn’t really used Android yet in the tablet market. So I am quite happy to play around with the Galaxy tab. I haven’t rooted it yet and am just using it as is for the time being.

I have to say it’s quite the nice piece of work, but not as smooth as the iPad 2. Having said that, I much prefer the Galaxy Tab due to the plethora of flash websites that are still out on the Internet. As time passes and people move over to HTML5 then this really won’t be an issue anymore.

Stay tuned for my experiences using the Galaxy Tab as an IT consultant in the corporate world!

-RP

BlackBerry Fusion

Hi folks! So unless you have been under a rock you’ve heard about RIM’s latest annoucement. They have announced BlackBerry Fusion!

What is this? It’s their entry into the MDM (mobile device management) market. I think this is a great idea but just a little to late. RIM should have come to the table ages ago, because right now there are a ton of vendors already providing these features for managing multiple OS mobile devices.

However, if they can refine the product to the standards of BES, then maybe they can steal market share away from the existing vendors. However they did themselves no favours by being late to the game. This seems to be RIM’s life story.

Read more here.

-RP

Kaseya Mobile Device Management

Hi folks! So back to MDM! I mentioned that if you are forced into using mobile devices in the work place and you can’t wait, there are technologies out there right now that can help.

One of those is Citrix as i mentioned. But what can you use to track and wipe devices that are not BlackBerries managed under BES? Well for you managed services folks out there, Kaseya has a great solution. Kaseya now has a Mobile Device Management module you can purchase from them.

This allows you to not only remotely wipe devices, but also geo-locate the devices. Not a bad idea. This is accomplished through the installation of an agent on the mobile device which is downloaded through the various mobile device app stores available.

You can read more here.

-RP

Mobile Device Explosion this Christmas

Hi folks! So now that halloween has passed, and December is on the horizon, Christmas is around the corner! Now what is going to happen this Christmas?

Every IT support person’s nightmare! Tons of users are going to get mobile devices (phones, tablets) for Christmas! Why is this bad? Well mobile devices are taking over faster than IT departments can cope with them. Mobile devices present all sorts of logistical and security issues.

More and more IT is getting pressure to allow users to use their personal mobile devices in the work place, also known as BYOD or Bring Your Own Device. This isn’t going to go away either. After this Christmas with all the recent price slashes in tablets, you will see many more people in January pushing IT departments to allow them to BYOD.

This explosion is going to present fresh new challenges to IT departments, so if you find yourself in this position you better pack a lunch, as it’s going to take us IT folks a while to figure out the best way to implement this.

-RP

How safe is social networking?

Hi folks! So with the proliferation of users using social networking, the most often question I get asked is how safe is it?

Well there are a few ways to look at this. One, you could end up posting something that you regret later and it can come back to bite you later on . Two, the social networking site you are using may use your private data in ways that you aren’t aware of basically putting your private details out there for people to see. Finally, three, quite a few social networking sites are direct targets of hackers and the information gathered is used in criminal situations such as identity theft in an effort to launch other crimes.

So what can you do? Well abstinence from social networking would obviously be the most effective method of security, but that isn’t always feasible. After all in today’s business world, more and more companies are turning to use it. If you decide not to opt in, you can be left standing out in the cold. So instead I would suggest joining in, but contributing the least amount of information possible, and highly restricting who has access to your information using in built controls in your site of choice. Also practice safe browsing practices by using highly secure browsers with the appropriate add-ons/plugins and surfing securely. Try to avoid using public computers for social networking because  you never know when your login info can be compromised.

Follow these steps and you will have a much safer experience!

-RP

Siri works on Iphone 4

Hi folks! So the iPhone 4S coolest feature by far has got to be Siri. The personal voice assistant.

Well for those of us in Canada maybe not so cool, because she can’t search Canadian locations. Anyways, apparently if you have a jailbroken phone you can port it over to your iPhone 4 and use Siri.

As interesting as this is, i don’t know why Apple just doesn’t release it for the iPhone 4 as a paid upgrade. I guess they figure they will sell more iPhone 4s’, if they do it the way they’re currently doing it.

-RP

China builds a very fast supercomputer!

Hi folks! So the latest in the technology world is that China built a 1 Petaflop supercomputer!

Apparently this supercomputer is the 15th fastest supercomputer in the world and it uses 8704 homegrown processors!

What’s cool about it is it’s low power consumption for what it is, and the fact that it’s not using Intel or AMD!

You can read more about it here.

-RP

HP PSG

Hi folks! So if you haven’t heard, HP is keeping PSG!

This is great news for companies that have bought into the HP strategy of being an all in one provider. HP has a long term outlook for it’s product lines and it’s nice to have one company you can go to for everything from enterprise to SMB.

When HP announced they might get rid of PSG, the IT community panicked, but it looks like cooler heads have prevailed and HP will be keeping PSG. It will be interesting to see how this affects the tablet market going forward.

-RP