End Point device security is becoming a major issue?

Q: Hi, End Point device security is becoming a major issue. Devices like IPODS, Mobile's etc. are a threat to Data Security in Organizations. Any of us are facing such challenges in their organizations?

A: Hi .....,
Here are 3 basic approaches:
1- Cut the cord – do not allow transfer of any data to mobile devices, this option assures security but it is not a mature solution on the user side. We all agree that mobile devices are business enablers
2- Control/Manage End Points – You need to manage all these end points as a part of your enterprise operation. Security on the endpoints is no more different than any other enterprise components but it is more difficult since the resources are much more limited (you cannot have 20 applications running on Nokia phones or you cannot manage iPods centrally. You can start with the following list – single client is preferred:
- Port Control (USB, CD, Floppy, Bluetooth, IR, Wi-Fi, Ethernet etc)
- Location awareness
- Encryption (file, disk, mail), key/cert management
- Firewall
- IPS
- Antivirus (http and SMTP)
- Antispam, Phishing, Malware control (http, SMTP, SMS)
- URL filtering
- Application control, and tripwire type change control
- Remote device management (in a secure manner :)
- Biometrics/TPM/SSO/802.1x support
- Easy to scale on multiplatform esp. on mobile
3- Control Data- Instead of focusing on the device level security, you may focus on data security. You can shift from the logical controls to data level security controls. If the data in the organization is classified by security requirements and protected accordingly, the devices will naturally comply with the higher plan. For the critical data I do recommend checking the enterprise rights management systems (a.k.a. DRM). Once your data is protected by enterprise rights management (ERM) or Information Rights Management (IRM) , it will be protected on the endpoint devices as well. Deploying ERM is the challenge. You may start googling with the following keywords; EMC (Authentica), Oracle (SealedMedia), IBM or Microsoft RMS or choose dedicated shops like InstaSecure Modevity or Liquid Machines. I hear a lot of activity around Liquid Machines.

Let me know if you have a specific question on the topics above,
cheers,
- yinal