Security in a Digital Age

In an article I recently wrote on IBM Infoboom, I take a look at Siri, the iPhone's new virtual assistant. While the application is getting some rave reviews from users, it didn't take too long before someone found a serious security hole. Apparently, anyone can simply use the digital assistant to send messages and email, along with set up appointments, even if the device is locked. While this may come in handy if your device is locked and you're too lazy to unlock it, it might not be so handy if someone else picks up your iPhone.

The article, which you can read here, then goes on to explore a much larger concern, as the Siri issue will be corrected when Apple simply switches the default value, of mobile device security in the enterprise world. Consumer devices are quickly becoming business necessities, but if those devices only have consumer-level security, what does this mean for IT departments hell bent on keeping a company's secrets safe? The consumerization of IT is only going to get worse in the near future, so IT managers need to be considering their options now, not waiting until the CEO demands that metrics be available in an iPad app. It's apparent that device manufacturers, along with OS developers have placed high-level security on the back burner (except for the lagging BlackBerry), so now is the time to seek out software-level solutions. There are a growing number of applications designed to lock certain aspects of a device down, but with so little use so far there hasn't been a true test of how strong they are.

The problem goes even deeper, as no matter how tight security gets you can't stop an employee from leaving an unlocked device sitting in a restaurant or on a train.

A complete security solution will mean not just locking down a device, but planning for the inevitable breeches in data security. Unfortunately, this is a conversation that's happening in frighteningly few small and mid-sized businesses right now. New studies show that hackers are increasingly targeting mobile devices and smaller businesses, so unfortunately many IT managers at smaller firms are going to be facing this situation from the wrong end. Hopefully, a continued conversation on the subject will get people thinking about planning for the future.

But who knows...