Wireless

iPhone targets the enterprise with new apps, Cisco VPN client

The iPhone was already doing a pretty good job creeping into the enterprise, despite early concerns about its security and manageability. Now, Apple is taking steps to allay those fears; yesterday, the company unveiled new features designed to help the iPhone better fit into the enterprise.

Early critics of the iPhone disliked its closed OS, which prevented third-party developers from creating new applications for the device. This limited the ways the phone could access corporate applications, most prominently, “push” email.

Now, Apple intends to open its software development kit by June, enabling the development of enterprise-worthy applications.

Jason Brooks speculates in his eWeek blog that the new apps will give the iPhone a leg up over RIM and Palm:

I expect that Treos will begin to wither in the eyes of one-time loyalists, and that erstwhile thumb-keyboard addicts will start to judge their BlackBerrys to be significantly sourer.

That’s good news for Apple fans; what’s perhaps even better news for network people is the integration of Cisco’s VPN client software. According to Network World blogger Jamey Hearey:

This will be a full blown IPSEC client that will even support the use of certificates or password based multi-factor authentication. Very nice! The iPhone VPN client will be able to connect to Cisco VPN gateway devices, like the Cisco ASA and older Cisco PIX.

Hearey, a security consulting systems engineer at Cisco, also points out that Apple announced its plans to support WPA with 802.1x authentication. “This will enable more enterprises to allow the iPhone to connect securely to their wireless infrastructure,” Hearey wrote.

Apple also opened an iPhone Enterprise Beta Program, through which enterprise developers can play with the 2.0 code before the official launch later this year. Check out Apple’s “iPhone Enterprise” page to read more about the program or view video of Steve Jobs making the announcement:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise/

It seems that the iPhone is unstoppable. Unfortunately, I won’t have one until they give them to you free with a three-year, $35/month service contract.

Network security concerns: Mo’ remote workers mo’ problems

When the network was built like a castle, located in one static location, it was easier to have perimeter defense–the castle walls, the moat and hill (i.e., the firewalls)–protecting the royalty… I mean, data. Nowadays, there’s more royalty (information) to keep track of and they don’t stay put within the safe walls of their core network/abode.

Needless to say, security is a primary networking concern (as was seen in a SearchNetworking.com survey conducted last fall polling more than 1,200 readers). I blame this largely on the increase of wireless (many wireless network security best practices are mysteries to most), the growing deployment of mobile devices (anywhere access), and the fact that not only are corporate devices travelling well beyond office-building walls, but the workers are too.

Sixty percent of enterprises have wide-spread remote access–where 50% or more of the workforce have remote access to the internal network–according to Yankee Group who surveyed 200 enterprises last summer. Senior Analyst of Enterprise Research in Network Security Phil Hochmuth of Yankee Group reported that three years prior, less than 25% of organizations supported wide-spread remote access.

With such an increase in such short amount of time, it’s no wonder network administrators are worried about how to secure and manage all these people. I realize I’m one of them: in the past three years, the companies I have worked for either allowed me to work remotely or involved me working from home entirely; I’m living this statistic, as many of you now are too, I’m sure.

Office space can be costly for an enterprise, and for the workers–so can gas, auto-repairs, and overall transportation. But on top of avoiding commutes, there’s a business benefit; mobile workers in jobs like sales or consulting, which require them to travel, are able to access data, fill orders more quickly, and quicken the overall pace of business transactions because they no longer lose as much time when they’re on the road. Unfortunately for the system administrator, all of this remote interaction puts stress on the network.

Hochmuth said “increased employee productivity is the main driver behind the move to open up internal networks for anywhere access, and SSL VPNs are emerging as the main tool enterprises use to provide this type of access.”

Independent research firm Amplitude Research commissioned by VanDyke Software found in their Fourth Annual Enterprise Security Survey that organizations are heightening their commitment to securing data communications. Secure remote access was the number one security management issue facing their company, according to their 2007 survey.

“The survey findings correlate to what we see happening in the field,” said Jeff P. Van Dyke, president and founder of VanDyke Software: “There’s a lot on the plates of the systems administrators, and with securing remote access a top issue and secure file transfer showing significant increase as a top issue to manage within the enterprise, VanDyke Software focused on new features for SecureCRT 6.0 and SecureFX 6.0 that make life in these areas so much easier for IT and network administrators.”

Hochmuth said “enterprises are literally opening up for business when it comes to supporting the ability of their employees to work from anywhere.” And VanDyke Software is one such company “opening up for business” to meet the needs of floundering network administrator’s who have to implement and support the increasing number of remote workers for their companies.

I suspect many more are aiming to follow suit.

iPhone, oh the madness you have wrought

I just finished writing about how the iPhone’s success has made touch-screen smartphones all the rage in 2008. And then this morning I read that Jim Balsille, co-CEO of Research In Motion, told attendees at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that his company is open to producing a touchscreen version of the BlackBerry. Et tu, BlackBerry?

In an interview with Reuters, Balsille made it clear that RIM would be open to adding a touch-screen control feature to its BlackBerry line if that’s what the company’s customers want:

For sure we’re looking at all kinds of different device packaging and presentation. I think getting religious on packaging is not the way to go. It’s really user preference-oriented.”

At the same show in Barcelona this week, Sony Ericsson debuted its Xperia X1, a touch-screen smartphone that appears to be a direct response to Apple’s iPhone and other touch-screen announcements from HTC and Nokia.

Touch-screens are nice and all, but sometimes I wish my Tom Tom GPS had a keyboard. My fingers are just too big!

iPhone corporate plan makes accountants smile

AT&T has added the iPhone as a device option for its enterprise wireless plans. On the surface of things, this is big news for iPhone fans who are waiting for the enterprise to welcome the device.

I haven’t seen an official announcement from AT&T about their iPhone enterprise offerings. So far, only the above link with feature and pricing options has turned up. But from what I can gather, this is more of a sales channel move than a product offering. This news won’t make IT managers feel warm and fuzzy towards the iPhone. Only accountants will be smiling.

No, this news doesn’t mean the iPhone is suddenly an enterprise-ready mobile device. All the concerns that Forrester Research voiced last month about its suitability for business use still apply. There is still no support for push email or third-party applications. Security is still a big problem, too, with no support for data encryption and no capability to remotely lock or erase lost devices. And the absence of a removable battery will still be a headache for road warriors.

This news is really about the accountants. It will now be easier for end users to request a device because your company’s accountants now have a direct channel for buying the iPhones and paying for the plans centrally instead of compensating individual users for deals they make on their own with AT&T.

Troubleshooting wireless connectivity: Plug it in, plug it in

Troubleshooting wireless connectivity is often about fixing the physical issues first. Although we like to think that “going wireless” means there are no wires involved, anyone in networking knows that this is not at all the case. To quote Neil Schubert at last year’s Mobile Wireless World conference “there are a lot of wires in wireless.”

Wireless access seems so complicated at times that when a wireless connectivity issue occurs, our brains skip right past the simple steps and jump into the world of other possibilities: Am I getting a DoS attack? Do I need to replace my wireless card? Did somebody in the kitchen turn on a microwave? But the first step to take is to start with the most obvious and simplest task. As much as we hate to ask if everything is plugged in as a helpdesk administrator, we should get accustomed to asking ourselves that same question — is everything plugged in?

Case in point, wireless networking expert Lisa Phifer resolved one user’s connectivity problem after learning that the user had a loose wire inside the desktop. And it’s not hard to see how that might have happened in these pictures:

As you can see, hands are much larger than much of the technology we work on. And to offer more perspective, my hands (in the pictures to the left) are much smaller than most other people’s.

So in the event we have to crack open a desktop or replace a network card, be mindful of what your hands are knocking against. Before you check network configurations and replace hardware that might be faulty when troubleshooting wireless connectivity, check to see if everything is connected. This simple procedure can be a real time (and money) saver when tracking down connectivity issues.

For more extensive information on wireless troubleshooting, view Lisa Phifer’s expert response or check out SearchNetworking.com’s Wireless Troubleshooting Guide. Xfce’s Notes from the mousepad also mentions this Ubuntu Wireless Troubleshooting Guide.

P.S. Let me know if you have a way of reaching into spaces you’re otherwise unable to.

Wireless security major networking concern for 2008

A few weeks ago, I asked our readers to tell me the number one networking issue you’d like to learn more about in the new year. It was no surprise that “security” appeared again and again in the comments, but I thought it was interesting how many people wanted to learn more about wireless network security. That really shouldn’t be a surprise, given that the increased demand for mobility and flexibility is driving up the number of wireless deployments, and subsequently, the need for wireless security.

Rest assured that SearchNetworking has planned lots of wireless security coverage for 2008. But in the meantime, (if you don’t mind a little plug) I’ll point out a couple resources that are available to you now:

• This guide to wireless security covers the basics.

• The Advanced Network Workshop, “Integrating Networking and Security — Wireless Security” features a podcast, webcast and tip by wireless networking expert Lisa Phifer.

There were a few other themes that stood out amongst the comments. For starters, it sounds like the majority of readers are using Cisco products and want to learn more about those, or about networking heterogeneous environments in which Cisco hardware sits side-by-side with other vendors’ products. Keeping with the network security theme, some readers wanted to learn more about Cisco security and security automation.

A couple of people mentioned that they would like to learn more about implementing VoIP for SMBs. I would point you toward this brand new guide on SearchCIO.com to learn more about VoIP in SMBs: VoIP’s midmarket play.

Some of the themes we’d pegged for 2008 coverage already came up, including IPv6, virtualization, and MPLS. Watch this space (and SearchNetworking.com) for more tips and advice on those topics in the coming months.

And now for the winners of our feedback contest:

• Dmorley
• StewartC
  
• Sarku
• Swhuffman96
• Elysium
• Bfsteel
• Accarlson
• Aarchangel
• Snipe
  
• Indie1138

Thanks to everyone for your comments!

“Most awesome router ever”

Last Friday, G4TV’s Attack of the Show named the wireless Belkin N1 Vision the “most awesome router ever.” Co-hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn rattled off a list of winning specs including 802.11n (although it runs in “mixed” mode), multiple SSIDs, a “guest-enable” feature and easy installation without CDs or software (you just turn it on and your computer detects it automatically).

The obvious thing that’s most impressive about the N1, however, is its sleek design and LCD display, which tells you a lot more about your connectivity status than the traditional blinking lights. The N1 is getting a lot of press for its sexy appearance; it looks more like an iPhone than your typical Linksys box.

So is this just for home users with gadget lust? Would you shell out $200 for this sleek 802.11n router — or would you prefer something that looks more like, well, a router? (Hey, we thought routers were sexy all along.)