SearchNetworking: NCP Explains Mobile Device Management v. Enterprise Application Stores

*Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in TechTarget’s SearchNetworking.com 

By Rainer Enders, CTO, Americas, NCP engineering

Both systems can enhance mobile device security at different levels. Typically, a mobile device management system provides for standard device management features such as configuration management, backup capabilities and remote wipe, along with logging and reporting. The enterprise application store provides for the capability to safely test and deploy chosen applications. As such, the company has greater control over the mobile device application environment. It can ensure the integrity and security of the applications as well as deliver a better user experience along with greater productivity. Meanwhile, enterprise application stores can be a particular advantage for heterogeneous device platforms.

 

NCP engineering Named Finalist in Info Security Products Guide’s 2013 Global Excellence Awards

NCP engineering is proud to announce that it has been named a finalist in the IPsec/SSL/VPN category of Info Security Products Guide’s 2013 Global Excellence Awards. The NCP Secure Enterprise Solution was once again recognized for its superiority in providing comprehensive security to companies with large, complex remote access environments.

Designed to make secure remote access simple, the NCP Secure Enterprise Solution is a centrally managed software
solution that provides IT staff with total end-to-end security, unlimited scaling, complete policy freedom and multiple VPN system setup and control. Comprised of the NCP Secure Enterprise Client, the NCP Secure Enterprise VPN Server and NCP Secure Enterprise Management (SEM), the solution is interoperable with all major network-layer security technologies, including VPN gateways and firewalls.

The information security research and advisory guide’s recognition of NCP further demonstrates the company’s market leadership, having recently been named a finalist in the 2013 SC Magazine Reader Trust Awards for its SEM 3.0. Patrick Oliver Graf, general manager, Americas commented on this sustained momentum: “It’s an honor to be recognized by Info Security Products Guide and continue our streak of awards. This distinction is a testament to our holistic remote access VPN solution, which continues to meet the demands of today’s increasingly mobile workforce while fulfilling enterprises’ security and management requirements.”

Stay tuned, as the winners of Info Security Products Guide’s 2013 Global Excellence Awards will be announced at a banquet dinner in San Francisco on February 27, 2013.

What We’re Reading: Week of 1/21

CIO – IT Decision-Makers says Embrace BYOD or Be Left Behind
Dark Reading – Avoiding IAM’s Biggest Blunder
Network World – Are federal agency workers going rogue with personal devices?
SearchEnterpriseWAN – Preparing for a disaster: When remote employees overload your VPN

Webinar: What CIOs and CTOs Need to Know About Mobile Device Security

Rainer Enders, CTO, Americas at NCP engineering, recently conducted an Execsense webinar around what CIOs and CTOs need to know about mobile device security. Rainer explains how the replacement of static access networks with mobile access networks has led to a paradigm shift in overall network security. Because mobile device protection complements infrastructure protection, enterprises must safeguard their data within hostile mobile access networks, which are made all the more vulnerable in today’s information age.

Taking us further down this journey of murky data classification and the new obstacles IT leaders face with the proliferation of mobile devices and BYOD, Rainer describes what mobile-centric security strategies CIOs and CTOs should implement to ensure optimal network protection. We hope you’ll tune in to the new Execsense webinar here.

 

Q&A on Employee Provisioning with Joerg Hirschmann: Part 3

This is the third and final entry in our Q&A series on questions related to employee provisioning and VPNs. Last week, we addressed how provisioning can benefit an organizations’ overall security postures as well as the de-provisioning tactics necessary to mitigate security risks during employee transitions. 

Question: Certain scenarios, such as short-term business partnerships, will require adaptable provisioning. How can VPN technology enable temporary and secure remote access? What are other solutions companies can use to incorporate flexibility into their workforce?

Joerg Hirschmann: VPN solutions offer different access points for various types of remote access users. In general, employees will require deeper access to corporate network resources than external partners will need. For that reason, companies should deploy VPN clients to their entire workforce, depending on the necessary access requirements, whereas external partners should access the relevant applications through client-less SSL VPNs, if possible. This will allow external partners to avoid the process of deploying software and licenses.

Organizations can also achieve temporary access, whether it be on-demand or limited hourly access,  by implementing a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server. With this approach, general access limitations can be set automatically, whereas on-demand access will have to be enabled–as well as disabled–manually by an administrator. Again, process quality is important.

If you have any questions that you would like answered on VPNs, remote access, network security and the like, send them to editor@vpnhaus.com. 

Joerg Hirschmann is CTO at NCP Engineering GmbH.