Good Technology is providing comprehensive support for Apple iOS 7. The company is the only secure mobility provider to offer full iOS 7 support across its entire suite of applications, including Good for Enterprise, Good Connect and Good Share, the day iOS 7 is available.
Good customers will be able to upgrade to iOS 7 without any delays in service, exposure of data or compromised security. Good has also rolled out iOS 7 support for its rich ecosystem of custom and partner applications built on the Good Dynamics Secure Mobility Platform as well as mobile device management capabilities.
Good’s ISV partners enable a range of iOS 7-compatible applications, including cloud storage, social business, business intelligence, e-printing, document editing, document management and file sync as well as industry specific applications from companies including NewsGator, Roambi and Thomson Reuters.
"Today enterprise mobility is all about balancing data security and user productivity," says Christy Wyatt, president and CEO of Good Technology. "At Good Technology, we’re focused on helping customers achieve this balance as quickly and easily as possible."
"Today’s support for iOS 7 is an example of that approach. By securing entire workflows, facilitating the development of numerous iOS 7-compatible enterprise apps, and simplifying management of iOS 7 within the types of diverse mobile environments typical today, Good is uniquely enabling enterprises to truly embrace iOS 7 as part of their mobilisation strategy."
Additionally, the Good Secure Mobility Solution complements and extends the security features of iOS 7. The new OS introduces functionality designed to benefit business users, including built-in MDM and application encryption, which help secure the device itself as well as native iOS 7 apps.
But, in an enterprise environment, where data is moved between apps as part of a business workflow, app-to-app security is essential. This is often the missing link in an organisation’s mobile strategy and, if not addressed, can result in significant security challenges and data loss. Good is the only secure mobility provider that can secure customer data in transit between apps with its patent-pending application-to-application encrypted tunnelling technology.
To lead these new implementations, Good Technology has appointed Marcus Chambers as the company’s new vice president and general manager of EMEA.
Chambers spoke to CBR about his focus on large accounts value-added consultancy and a new renewed focus on strategic partnerships.
"I would like to think that with my background in IT for 28 years, and in management for just over 18, I know the industry quite well. Good Technology are incredibly well positioned from an inter-secure platform perspective, offering customers a very good choice," he says.
The EMEA channel programme is one of Chambers’ first priorities to rejuvenate, with closer relationships as well as more formulated training and accreditation programmes. He will be drawing on his experience as EMEA VP and GM of Tintri, where he oversaw record EMEA results and increased channel sales exponentially.
"Good is incredibly in touch with customer needs and industry leading solutions, which support a well-advanced vision for mobile security," comments Chambers. "This, combined with the excitement in the market, is what attracted me to Good. I am thrilled to be part of such a dynamic and inventive global team and look forward to seeing EMEA grow over the coming months and years."
Despite the new biometric function of the new iPhone 5S being criticized by some in the tech industry, Chambers says he sees it as a "very welcome addition."
"Touch ID is very interesting but it’s important that we shouldn’t consider it a security cure-all. This is especially true in the context of BYOD, where devices are likely to have multiple fingerprints registered to the device," he says.
"Biometrics control access to the device is important, but controlling how data can be accessed is even more essential. If you allow a user free reign once they gain access to the device, your security policy is flawed.
"Imagine a husband having fingerprint access to his wife’s personal iPad that she also uses for business. We wouldn’t want the husband to have inappropriate access to Enterprise apps and data, but at the same time what right does a company have to limit use of a personal device at home? For this reason, enterprises will still demand authentication to be separate from that of the device."
Apple is now also offering to store passwords on their iCloud service, which could pose a potential security risk. The service will also store credit card details so that information can be auto-filled when signing into a website to make a purchase.
"Users need to be wary of what information is stored and ready for auto-fill. In this regard it’s not too different from many other services out there, but being incorporated into iCloud it’s likely to get significantly more use," says Chambers.
"Any time passwords or sensitive information is being stored there’s the potential for security breaches. We just need to understand the different levels of security we require for different areas of our lives – am I comfortable having my Facebook or Twitter password saved on iCloud ready for auto-fill? Probably. Am I comfortable having passwords for a banking app or an app that contains sensitive corporate data. Not on your life."
Good provides consistent app security and management across all platforms, including Android and Windows 7 environments, as well as iOS. In a BYOD era, organisations are going to adopt iOS 7 as part of a cohesive mobilisation strategy that encompasses multiple operating systems, devices, third party and custom apps. Good helps IT managers more easily manage security policies across platforms, ensuring data is secure regardless of the device, environment, application or workflow a user has chosen.
When it comes to security issues on Apple and Android, Chambers tells CBR: "Both have challenges but we support and embrace both platforms.
"Both organisations are improving security but they both have different flaws. Android have 4,000 models and there are only six Apple which are more focused. Both have good levels of security and we believe in them of giving a chance to customers too view their strengths, enabling customers to look at security for specific platforms."
Jim Lundy, founder and CEO of Aragon Research, says: "Having a solution that provides IT with a single secure and easy way to effectively manage the mixture of corporate-liable and personal devices and applications present in their organisation — across all platforms — while having total control over the data that travels through enterprise apps, is a huge benefit for any organisation."
