When mobile email, applications and security get thrown together
into the mix, device management can become one hectic chore.
This week, Sybase iAnywhere announced some additional building
blocks to ease and enhance all of those things. At the Mobile
Business Expo in Chicago, the company introduced new versions of
two main components of its Information Anywhere Suite, a portfolio
of tools for enterprise mobility solutions.
As a whole, the Information Anywhere Suite is designed to help
enterprises address converging requirements of mobile email, device
management, security and application enablement. This week,
iAnywhere hit the streets with updated versions of its OneBridge
and Afaria products, introducing version 5.5 of both.
Together, OneBridge 5.5 and Afaria 5.5 provide interoperability
across technologies to optimize wireless communications, simplify
IT requirements, and improve the mobile user's experience.
Joe Owen, vice president of engineering for Sybase iAnywhere,
said the two new releases solve some thorny interoperability
problems that arise when data push and security are used in the
same environment.
"The combination of two things enterprises are interested in
doing are at the core of the problem," Owen said. He added that
push is a great model, but securing data in a push environment is a
tricky endeavor, and pushed data is a bigger exposure risk.
"Having push email and encryption is tricky," he said. Owen
added that making encryption aware of push technology and vice
versa can be sticky.
The OneBridge updates allow for out-of-the-box, real-time push
delivery of data, including email, calendar, contacts and
tasks.
According to Senthil Krishnapillai, manager, product management,
OneBridge at Sybase iAnywhere, the OneBridge updates interoperate
with Afaria 5.5, support more than 130 mobile devices, simplify the
evaluation process, and provide admins and users with better
security, management and email capabilities. The latest OneBridge
version supports Nokia E and N series devices and Sony Ericsson
P990i and m600 devices running the Symbian 9 operating system. It
is also reconfigured to reduce the number of device-to-server
authentications.
Afaria 5.5, the update of Sybase iAnywhere's frontline
management and security solution, is enhanced to provision devices
wirelessly and expand device security functionality. It is also
updated to feature remote control for Windows Mobile devices and
has expanded Patch Manager capabilities.
Owen said that Afaria 5.5 includes FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption
modules, improved Security Manager usability, and full
interoperability with OneBridge and Microsoft Exchange Server to
ensure that wireless technology can be used to push email to
devices while maintaining the security of mail and PIM data.
Duke University Health Systems (DUHS), which was recently
awarded a
Mobile Impact Award from the Mobile Enterprise Alliance for its
use of Afaria, wanted to mobilize its physicians, professors,
medical students and researchers by giving them access to patient
information and other materials via their PDAs. To do so, DUHS had
to ensure that all information was secure and complied with strict
HIPPA regulations.
According to a case study chronicling DUHS's deployment, the
health center needed to centrally manage the PDAs. The medical
center used iAnywhere Afaria to manage all of the devices,
applications, data and communications. The solution also helped the
organization to manage software distribution and updates, provide
access to current information, and enable device management and
security from a centralized browser interface.
One main goal of the project was to mobilize the staff while
also being able to manage and support users without having to
physically touch each device, according to Allen Coleman, IT
manager of the mobile computing group for Duke Health Technology
Solutions.
"The physicians wanted to be able to view current information on
patient status, lab results and other data to allow them to deliver
the best possible care," Coleman said in a statement. "To provide
this capability, we needed to be able to deliver and update a
patient information application and to ensure the security of the
information in accordance with HIPAA regulations. They also wanted
access to other related reference information, such as
pharmaceutical and insurance formulary information."
Coleman and his team evaluated several mobile management tools
and selected Afaria because it allows for proactive management of
all devices, applications, data and communications. Also, he said,
Afaria's ability to manage software distribution and updates,
provide access to current information, and enable device management
and security from a centralized browser interface has made the
deployment a success.
"Equally important," Coleman added, "the technology was
essentially transparent to our end users, which is always the sign
of an effective and well-designed technology solution."