Today (June 29th) see the launch of the all-new Apple iPhone in the US; and while doubtless many thousands will rush to be first with the new technology, is there a darker side to the gadget?
Analyst firm Gartner has joined many security specialists in warning corporate IT security staff that allowing iPhones onto the corporate network might not be such a good idea - as the device could represent not only a major data leakage threat, but also a significant risk to network integrity.
The iPhone is explicitly designed to mix work and pleasure - hosting powerful email applications alongside the ability to store large amounts of photos, music and other files. One worry is that this will encourage corporate users to either use the corporate network to temporarily host files intended for the phone (which may, or may not, be legally licensed) or will copy sensitive files from the network to the phone, where they are unprotected against data theft.
“Most handheld devices come with easy-to-use tools that enable rapid interfaces to business systems,” a Gartner report stated. “When end users install such tools, they effectively ‘punch a hole’ through the enterprise security perimeter–data can be moved across applications to personally owned devices, without the IT organization’s knowledge or control.”
Gartner, in line with security specialists such as Centennial Software (which develops the DeviceWall endpoint security product) suggest that organizations need to adopt a layered approach to security, enabling the business to support those devices it sees as valuable to productivity while also minimizing data leakage risk.
