By Daniel Burrus

 

 

The Cloud-Enabled Transformation of Enterprise IT

 

Thanks to exponential advances in processing power, bandwidth, and storage (what I call the three change accelerators), the business environment is undergoing a major transformation. I have been tracking the trajectory of these three change accelerators for the past five years and they have now entered a predictable new phase--one that will transform every business process. In fact, based on the technology-enabled hard trends that are already in place, including advances in cloud computing and virtualization, over the next five years we will transform how we sell, market, communicate, collaborate, innovate, train, and educate.

Another major cloud service is angling today to join the pantheon of public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Rackspace and Windows Azure. Verizon Terremark, a unit formed by Verizon's $1.4 billion purchase of the Miami-based cloud vendor Terremark in 2011, is launching two new public infrastructure services today: Verizon Cloud Compute and Verizon Cloud Storage.
But what will this new public cloud offering give the world that it already doesn't have?
Verizon Terremark's infrastructure-as-a-service Cloud Compute and object storage Cloud Storage offerings are most analogous to Amazon Web Service's EC2 and S3 services, respectively. But VT claims it offers some key technological and business advantages. Let's have a look.

The Technology Argument

For starters, VT claims its networking architecture will allow for multi-tier networking, with multiple network interfaces available to any virtual machine. Applications running on the VT cloud service can have any number of tiers available, from the client-server two-tier architecture, to the more stable three-tier presentation-business-data architecture that is common for many web apps and beyond.
Using multi-tier networking can introduce a lot of stability and fault-tolerance into an application; the more parts of an application's process that are handled by different machines on the network, the less chance there is for the application to fail. And, if you want to swap out a software component of the application, it can be done without rewriting the whole app.
But, there's a catch. Any time an application process or data has to jump from one machine to another, it slows the process down. The more tiers introduced, the slower the process gets, as information has to potentially hop multiple times from one server to the next.
To adjust for this problematic latency, Verizon Terremark CTO John Considine told me that the topography of the network will also be laid out as an "ultra-flat network," which means that inside each of the new public cloud's seven regions, virtual-machine-to-virtual-machine communication will be done in one network hop, even if there are hundreds of thousands of virtual machines within a region's virtual network.
This is a sharp departure from what Considine called the typical leaf-and-spine topography seen in many places today. That topography, he claims, leaves many network links oversubscribed and can introduce latency into the system—especially with multi-tier network architecture. "We've removed the restrictions on where in a region we put a customer's servers," he said. "We can do this by rewriting network packets on the network layer as the packets move through the network."

Besides the improvement in multi-tier processes, Considine argues, Verizon Cloud customers shouldn't have to suffer the so-called "bad neighbor" effect that can adversely affect one or more virtual machines if a nearby virtual machine is hogging too many network resources. Considine says that should help increase reliability of the VMs on the network.
This kind of network flexibility is pretty much what you would expect a network provider would feature: after managing a network of its own for so long, one would expect VT to have some decent tricks up its sleeve. Such network flexibility should translate into faster multi-tier applications, if developers want to build them.

The Business Argument

From a business perspective, Verizon claims its Cloud Compute customers will have far more control over the resources they use on the cloud.
For example, in AWS's EC2 service, the m1.small server instance offers 1.7GB of RAM. So, Considine said, a customer with a 2GB app can either try to squeeze the app into the smaller 1.7GB space, or upgrade to Amazon's next instance, the 3.75GB m1.medium, and pay more.
By contrast, Verizon prices its services are priced by the gigabyte and the gigahertz. Servers, then, can be better sized to a customer's actual need, Considine said.
Verizon has also simplified pricing by eliminating, for instance, charges per input/output of memory transferred.
Simplified pricing would be a cool part of this new cloud service; given that some customers actually attend seminars to learn just how to read a bill from AWS, simplicity would be a welcome breath of fresh air.

The Bottom Line

U.S. customers will get the most access right now, with four available cloud regions. The EMEA will have two available cloud regions, and another cloud region in Brazil. The APEC region will see availability of Verizon Terremark cloud services in 2014, Considine said.
If these cloud services deliver what they promise, Verizon Terremark could shake up the public cloud market. The company is targeting enterprise customers (naturally), but it is also driving towards medium-sized and government clients as well—the latter being a direct square-off with AWS's recent claim staking of the government sector this summer.
Lots of companies have tried to knock AWS off the top of the public-cloud heap, but Verizon Terremark might have a better chance than most. Unlike AWS and all of the other cloud competitors, VT controls a network, which may give it an advantage until the other services can catch up.
Image courtesy of Wikimapia

 

 

Cisco releases its Android VPN for 4.x

Under: Android OS, Software
Date: April 8th, 2013

Cisco is surely known to be the one that has been ruling the Internet for decades, as they are known to be one of the sole providers of servers. Cisco claims that none of the Internet packages can reach its destination without going through a single Cisco server / router, and this is one of the reasons why people have blind trust over Cisco.A good number of company owners as well as other personals have been long demanding for a Cisco VPN service, and this is because as Cisco is known to be the king of the internet, therefore they can provide with the best and the most effective VPN solution, which will fulfil all their needs especially when it comes to safety and security of their data.

Cisco VPN has been long awaited, by everyone who is actually looking forward towards its privacy and data security over the Internet. The name of this new Cisco VPN is AnyConnect, which is now available for Android 4.x.
Cisco AnyConnect – Enterprise based Android VPN
We all know how quickly things are shifting from larger technology to a smaller and efficient one; therefore it is one of the reasons why Android VPN is in such a demand. With Cisco’s AnyConnect preview, now Android Phones will be allowed to bypass the company’s firewalls settings, hence allowing more and more people as well as enterprises to come towards Android devices in order to reap benefits out of it.
Benefits for the Android Users
Cisco’s AnyConnect VPN service gives the opportunity to the Android users to run this VPN service over any of their Android devices, which are running Android 4 or are higher than it, Android 4 is sometimes also referred to as an Ice Cream Sandwich operating System.
Are there any problems in AnyConnect?
Well it’s a preview release therefore you are surely going to find some of the problems with this all new VPN offered by Cisco. However before getting AnyConnect for yourself, you can surely overview all the limitations, errors and other issues over its market page and if you think you can manage to go with it, than you are more than welcome to get it for your Android 4.
However Cisco is encouraging you to report any errors you encounter, so that they can improve their service and took out all the necessary bugs before the actual release of this Product which is about to schedule in next few weeks.
Even if it is just a preview version, for most people it surely works best and this is because the speed provided by Cisco’s AnyConnect is quite good and they are getting what they need from it, however people who are working on corporate level might have some issues with it, as it is providing limited services to them. However it is expected that it could be overcame soon before the official release of the product. So if you are looking forward towards Cisco’s VPN absolutely error free than you should become the part of testing its preview version and report any of the issues that you have been facing.



Author Bio
Intkhab Ahsan is a guest blogger and content writer. He is blogging for Best UK VPN and recommends you to get US IP Address for safe and secure web browsing.

PCM VISION IT CONFERENCE & EXPO TRISTATE

15 QUESTIONS TO YOUR SELF-DEVELOPMENT

By: East Harlem Journal

Published January 21, 2013, in Education, Living

From the book, Lessons for a new Generation, by Alberto O. Cappas

A book for Self-Development, Character Building, and Critical Thinking….

The following fifteen (15) questions are designed to help with your self-development process. The questions also will work to develop clarity of vision of who you are in relation to your presence on this planet.

It is not enough to live from day-to-day without examining one’s life’s journey of choices and decisions.

Take the time to provide answers to the following questions. If addressed seriously, these fifteen questions will help to enhance your purpose and quality of Life.

Learn to truly appreciate why you are a living creature on this planet!

Get out of the “Box” – and be you…a unique human being that was made with your individual fingerprints from the onset of your life!

1

Who am I?

Use this question to challenge yourself. TRULY examine what you have become since your day of birth. Begin to see how you can carve out the real you. It is never too late to turn the corner and start anew.

2

Why am I here?

Give thoughts to the reason why you were born. Is it an accident, or is there a spiritual or divine purpose for your existence? Are you here to give or to take? Take a good look at the events of the world and how you are linked and connected to them. What can YOU contribute?

3

Am I living out my dreams?  Do I have dreams? If not, why?

Are you working as a doorman but want to be a painter? Are you employed in a job that you dislike but stay just to collect retirement benefits after twenty years on the job?  Do not let your dreams pass you by. Get on your skates and skate forward! Take the risk!

4

Am I doing what I want to be doing with my life?

Instead of saying: “I hope my dreams come true”, why not say: “I will work and plan to make my dreams come true.” There is a reason for dreaming. Speak with conviction and seriousness about your dreams because it is only you that can make them happen so speak about them with authority that you are putting the effort to make them happen.  This is no joke.   Dreams are like blueprints and designs but they are designing your life…the life that will be facing you in the mirror every morning you wake up. Do not let your dreams remain dreams. Bring them to life by pursuing an Education and having a Plan. Write down your dream and start putting the steps you think can get you there.

5

Am I living a life based on other people’s expectations?

Do what you need to be doing, and not what others want you to do. Remember that the expectations must come from you, and not from anyone else. You are the gatekeeper of your aspirations on this planet. The expectations are yours to design and navigate.

6

Am I happy? If yes, why am I happy? If not, why not?

Make up your mind to be happy. Do not allow or give power away to others to direct and control your emotions.  Control your ego, understand the influence of family, and appreciate your association with the Universe. Smile with the Sun, not at the Sun.  Dance with the Moon, not at the Moon. Be happy! You and the Universe are one and good efforts are rewarded.

7

Is my present situation based on a risk taken or on an opportunity provided?

Are you cruising in life, taking anything that comes your way without an honest examination of yourself in relation to these opportunities? Take the time to think about things you would truly like to be doing and what you need to do to get there. You are to create the Plan step by step to achieve your goal even if you have to make changes (in your Plan) along the way.  That is okay! The important thing is NEVER TO STOP TRYING. Stay focused. You need to appreciate and welcome the element of Intelligent Risk and let go of what you now have so you can move forward with your real purpose and mission.

8

Where do I expect to be in the next 10 to 15 years?

Stop cruising and begin to see yourself 5, 10, and 15 years from now. What do you see? What would you like to see? This very moment is the right time to plan seeds for your Tree so you can enjoy the Fruits of your labor tomorrow. Begin investing today. Tomorrow never comes for those that do not take the time to design it.

9

Have I maintained a system of values and standards to govern my life?

How do you live your life from day to day? Is there something inside of you that stops you from doing something you don’t want to do? How do you arrive at making important decisions or choices?  Have you taken the time to examine your inner strengths? Do you have the ability or will to make changes if things are not working for you with what you have already tried?

10

Am I a consumer or a provider? Do I know the difference between the two?

A consumer consumes (takes). A provider provides (gives). You need to address this question very seriously if you want to move to a higher level of awareness and consciousness. The answer you find will be a big step in formulating the way you decide to live your life.

11

What are my strengths and weaknesses as a human being?

You need to seriously look at yourself and determine the strengths and weaknesses of your human tools. For example, if you hate or dislike reading, you would not want to take a job as an editor or proofreader even if the pay is great.  Use your strengths to get where you need to go, as well as to understand your weaknesses. As human beings we all have them. The more we learn about ourselves, and read about different interests, the sooner we get where we want to go. Read, use the computer, attend lectures, and ask questions. Always make room for curiosity.  Curiosity means you are open to wanting to learn more and, therefore, can get exposed to many new things which can enhance your knowledge base towards your Plan.  Just get started!

12

What are my hobbies? Do I have any positive hobbies? If not, why?

Take the time to understand the origin of your interest in hobbies. Hobbies can be an extension of your purpose and mission on this planet. Properly utilized, hobbies can help you with your personal growth and development as a person.

13

Have I explored the potential of my hobbies?

Hobbies are sometimes hidden treasures that can lead to a career or business enterprise. Get to understand the value of your hobbies and examine how they can help you grow and develop spiritually and economically.

14

Do I understand the difference between being religious and being spiritual?

Many people believe in God. They attend church for their religious guidance. Others do not attend a church but also believe, taking upon themselves the need to reach out and talk directly to God or the Supreme Being.  What about you? Are you a religious person? Are you a spiritual person? Can you be both?

15

When I look in the mirror, what do I see?  Am I able to honestly verbalize that image? If not, why?

Be happy with who you are. Understand your mind and your body; look into the spirit and the soul of your being. Use this question to confront the real you and work to obtain the highest level of self-awareness about the person you are capable of becoming. Have the courage to say goodbye to your negative associations as well as to negative habits. As long as you are alive, you are still in the game of life. Play by the rules, and use your good judgment and good intuition to guide you in the journey. And if you want to change the game, you first need to learn the game before effectively making any changes in the game. Be open to the advice of your elders who have been through battlefields that they can help you to avoid so that your journey to success is not interrupted.

For more information or to order the book for your students or children, go to www.educationalpledge.com or go to any online book outlet to place an order

The 11 Mental Health Habits of Highly Successful People

In: Health | comment : 0

“Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.” – Abraham Lincoln

Do you feel like a success in your life?

If you are like most people, even if you answered “YES” to this question, you likely have some qualifiers. After all, no matter how successful you are, you could always be more successful! And you don’t have to look around very hard to find others to compare yourself to not only who have it better than you do, but seem to have it all!

For the many discouraged souls who answered “no” to my question, dashed hopes, missed opportunities and past mistakes loom larger than life. For some, life’s setbacks are proof that they rank among life’s “losers.” For those individuals, failures in schooling, career, marriage, parenting, and friendships take a huge toll on self-esteem. To add insult to injury, we might learn that our seemingly ordinary high school or college peers have become more successful than we could ever imagine. Boy, some people have all the luck!

If you are among the ones that are feeling like success has skipped over you, how about starting today a lifetime of smashing success?

As Abraham Lincoln’s quote so aptly infers, it’s really what your thoughts are that determine if you are successful or not. After all, we have watched so many rich and famous public figures falling dramatically into addictions, despair, and disgrace. It is clear that outward success does not always mean you are a success in life, no matter how much fame or fortune you have attained. Just think of the 1950’s movie, Citizen Kane. This classic film depicted the plight of the very successful newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, whose life of emptiness, insecurity, and narcissism served as a direct contrast to his outward success.

Thus, when we think of The 11 Mental Health Habits of Highly Successful People, we need to focus less on what things seem to be so that we can give up the notion that success comes mostly from the outside. That means we can all feel like successes if we just work on our attitude, no matter what how much money we have, the kind of car we drive or the neighborhood that we live in! In essence, positive people are more successful in life!

The following are the mental health habits of truly successful people in life:

1. Successful people do not measure themselves against anyone else’s yardstick.

They know well that if we evaluate success in comparison with others, even the most accomplished of us will end up falling short. Once you fall in the comparison trap, there will be no end to dissatisfaction. There’s always someone smarter, wealthier, more attractive and more accomplished!

2. Truly successful people compare themselves only to themselves!

While they choose not to compare themselves with others, they compare themselves only with themselves. Those with a successful mindset constantly improve on yesterday. After all, they are strong believers in the notion that the most important room in the world is the room for improvement!

3. Those with a successful mindset forgive themselves for everything.

Those successful souls that are energized and motivated by lessons from their setbacks refuse to beat themselves up over them. They are not judgmental of what they lacked in foresight, even with things that have become so obvious with hindsight. They realize that being human is a work in progress and mishaps only make them more genuine, deeper, and empathetic.

4. Successful people focus on their life as a WHOLE rather than focusing on THE HOLES.

Rather than focus on what is missing in their lives, they appreciate what they have. They tend to be grateful rather than bitter. They expect that the road to success will have some detours, bumps, and potholes. They have made peace with the fact that progress never goes in a straight, uncomplicated line.

5. Successful people move forward, despite occasional backward glances.

Even if progress seems slow, they do not give up and go back. They believe that revisiting past decisions that did not turn out only serve to be discouraging, and they prefer to live in the present, going onwards and upwards! Besides, they know that some things that don’t turn out end up being just what they needed after all! They know that “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s,” will make them stuck in reverse gear, and they are smart enough to know that is no way to drive any distance!

6. Asking for help is seen as a strength, not a weakness, in the highly successful mindset.

Those who have tasted success realize that success is never only about them. They are thankful for the many people along the way that helped make it happen. When they need help, they ask for it. They are not ashamed to need others.

7. People who are successful share the love!

That’s right! Instead of being stereotypically competitive and egocentric in climbing the ladder of success, truly successful people in life share the love with others! They realize that love is more important than anything else, and do not neglect loving relationships in a quest for success. They are more likely to love than judge those close to them, and know that part of loving others is accepting unconditionally, flaws and all. They also know that often the best way to do something for yourself is to help others!

8. With a watchful eye on their goal, successful people find success in the journey itself.

The process is not just a means to an end, and the journey is as important as the destination. They do not caught up in the idea that “when …….. happens, then I will be a success.” Rather, a sense of self worth is with them all along the way, and is not something to find only when they get there!

9. Those who are truly successful have nothing to prove.

Individuals who want to continuously prove themselves will always be sorely disappointed. Proving yourself entails looking for outside recognition, which does little when compared to inner recognition. Rather than prove themselves, successful people strive to actualize themselves.

10. Success is not measured by how hard you fall, but in how determined you get back up.

For successful people, resilience is the name of the game. Stumbles are viewed as precursors for success, and lessons learned offer opportunities to build character and develop wisdom.

11. Successful people are Doers, not Stewers.

They don’t wait for life to give them what they want or deserve, but work hard for anything they get. They refuse to sit on the sidelines of life, expecting that things should happen for them – Rather, they make things happen! In essence, they accept the cards they are dealt with life and are too busy playing their hand to complain about any lousy cards.

From: arkarthick.com

SAN, NAS and the New Storage Architecture

The new order isn't likely to eliminate existing storage network architectures, but maybe tweak them a little in form and function

By Arthur Cole | Nov 28, 2012

One of the more interesting questions that is often overlooked in all the big things happening in the enterprise these days is what will happen to networked storage?

For old-time techies, it's hard to imagine a world without SAN or NAS. The two have made up the heart of network infrastructure for so long that anything looking to supplant them is naturally viewed with suspicion. However, a quick look at some of the technologies impacting storage networking in the infrastructure reveals that the new order isn't likely to eliminate existing storage network architectures, but maybe tweak them a little in form and function.

Probably the most direct challenge to the SAN/NAS hegemony is local flash storage. A number of firms are touting all-flash storage environments that link on-server capacity through the PCIe interconnect. Such an approach is not only cheaper, but will greatly improve response times compared to network-based approaches. To date, however, most enterprises seem content to use on-server flash as a high-speed cache and then supplement their networked storage arrays with solid state drives. Anything more would mean undoing decades' worth of infrastructure development for the sake of an all-flash architecture. New enterprises and cloud providers building from scratch might be amenable to this approach, but not the vast majority of existing enterprises.

For a while it seemed that the cloud itself would be the end of the SAN, if not enterprise storage altogether. And indeed, some of the latest cloud platforms, like TwinStrata's CloudArray 4, have adopted many of the same SAN/NAS protocols currently deployed in the enterprise. The idea is to allow users to integrate cloud resources with existing storage environments while maintaining support for common formats like CIFS and Active Directory. But even this isn't likely to diminish enterprise SAN/NAS as much as it will prolong their existence as the local component of burgeoning hybrid cloud environments.

Meanwhile, a reverse trend is playing out in traditional enterprise platforms as they become more cloud-like. NetApp just unveiled a pair of new FAS3200 arrays designed to unify not only SAN and NAS environments, but to also operate comfortably with both flash and private cloud architectures. The system scales up to 2 PB across as many as 24 storage nodes, allowing for nondisruptive maintenance, upgrades and performance balancing using the ONTap operating system. It would seem, then, private and hybrid cloud architectures will require local infrastructure to be augmented, not diminished.

And all of this is happening at a time when storage networking is forging closer ties with LAN infrastructure. Emulex recently outfitted select HP Integrity blades with new 10 GbE FlexFabric adapters providing both LAN and SAN connectivity on the motherboard and cutting down on costly and complex external networking. The NC553i adapter allows up to three FlexNICs and one FlexHBA per physical port, with an adjustable bandwidth feature for workload balancing across the architecture. At the same time, the system incorporates Fibre Channel over Ethernet and single-root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV), further reducing networking infrastructure.

From these developments, it would seem that traditional enterprise infrastructure is not going anywhere soon. It will become more cloud-capable to be sure, and will continue to shrink in size and complexity through network convergence and virtual fabric technologies. But it will continue to provide vital support to the new dynamic data environments under development.

The future, then, will be all about building storage infrastructure that best suits user and data needs, not to conform to the latest architectural trends.

Mobile Malware Menances, Driving Mobile Application Security

Posted October 18th, 2012 by CJ Arlotta

How serious is the threat posed by mobile malware? The accelerating interest in games, social networking, productivity apps and financial tools for mobile platforms has created a very serious threat indeed. ABI Research reports that due to the increase in security breaches, the global market for mobile application security will be worth $398 million by the end of 2012. Mobile device management (MDM) vendors and managed services providers (MSPs) will surely want keep their eyes on this fast-growing market.
According to the ABI Research report, this revenue number includes sales of  paid apps, partnerships with manufacturers and operators, white label deals, and data set sales. “With the increasing popularity of smartphones, mobile threats are on the rise,” says Senior Cyber Security Analyst Michela Menting. “This has implications for security at the corporate level as well as for individual privacy.” ABI Research calculates that there have been over 130 billion downloads of mobile security apps.
ABI Research’s report just adds more fuel to the flames of mobile device market momentum.  For instance, Ovum estimates that smartphone shipments could reach nearly 57 percent of total devices sold in emerging markets by 2017. These smartphones, along with other mobile devices, will have to adjust to loss, theft, spam, Trojans, spyware, data breach, and aggressive advertising. These are concerns that will need to be addressed by the global market for mobile application security.
And Gartner recently made several predictions and recommendations regarding the bring your own device (BYOD) and mobile device management, which work hand in hand with mobile application security, including that companies should manage BYOD with application management and appropriate cloud service.

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Is mobile device virtualization the answer to BYOD?

Linda Tucci, News Director  Published: 17 Jul 2012 

CIO Greg Taffet looked into mobile device virtualization to get a handle on the rapid adoption of mobile devices at U.S. Gas & Electric Inc., a fast-growing North Miami-based national reseller of natural gas and electricity. So did Barry Porozni, CIO at The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) in Philadelphia, where a bring your own device (BYOD) policy started out modestly enough and keeps growing.
Who wouldn't be intrigued? Mobile Device Virtualization promises the benefit that made server virtualization such a big hit in the enterprise: being able to run multiple operating systems on a single piece of hardware. Whereas cost savings on hardware was the primary driving force behind the adoption of server virtualization, the allure of mobile device virtualization is being able to provision dual personas on the same device -- one for work and one for personal computing.

More on virtualization

A return to the Garden of IT with Mobile Device Virtualization?
Virtulization Capacity Management: The right tools rule

With dual personas, if a company wants to impose a strong password policy or to standardize on one version of bandwidth, all that can happen independently of what goes on in the personal domain. Corporate assets are protected, and the employees can do as they please on their side of the border. In enterprise computing, where CIOs are under tremendous pressure to adopt BYOD policy and where mobile endpoints are multiplying like locusts, a dual persona solution sounds like paradise regained. "It allows IT to leverage that centralized control they had for so long," said Philip Clarke, research analyst at Mokena, Ill.-based Nemertes Research Group Inc.
Taffet and Porozni discovered, however, that the approach is very new, the market is very unsettled and the mobile device world is changing very rapidly. So -- for the time being anyway -- they are steering clear of putting virtual machines on mobile devices. After all, the Type 2 hypervisor approach taken by VMware Inc., arguably the world's leader in enterprise virtualization, to date works only on Android devices, they noted.
For Porozni, security was also a concern, specifically with the device's Type 2 hypervisor technology that relies on the underlying operating system to work. "How do you know there isn't something they can't download on the personal side that can't impact the phone?" he asked. A guest OS also takes more power from the base system, raising the possibility of performance problems. For now, he's going with "good enough." He opted for a mobile device management (MDM) product from Fiberlink Inc., a Mobility-as-a-Service provider based in Blue Bell, Penn.
U.S. Gas & Electric's Taffet is testing a piece of software from Bitzer Mobile Inc., which provides its own business-encapsulated secure environment on the mobile device. Everything from the business runs in the Bitzer mobile app container, he said. "They take the pain of making it run on all the appropriate devices, so that I only need to set it up once. I can push and pull and manage and wipe -- at my control versus the user's -- on the business side. Whatever happens on their side of the computer doesn't affect my side," he added. "I'm beginning to feel comfortable with the level of security they provide."

Mobile device virtualization a silver bullet or a bust?

Analysts we interviewed agreed that at least until mobile device virtualization is device agnostic and becomes "ubiquitous," many CIOs will choose the "good enough" capabilities offered by mobile device management (MDM) vendors for managing, monitoring and securing mobile devices, "But they are not giving IT the full breadth of control," Nemertes' Clarke said.
Christian Kane, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., who follows MDM closely, agreed. "Most MDM technologies leverage the native APIs of the mobile device, so they can't get the same data and application controls that enterprise clients are looking for," he said. The monitoring problem will only worsen with the proliferation of mobile devices and versions in the enterprise.

If you can't control what gets installed on the device, then the best way to protect your data and assets is to make sure you can control the work environment they are deployed in.
Christian Kane,
analyst, Forrester Research Inc.

Moreover, IT ends up "owning the device" with MDM, whether the device is provisioned by the company or owned by the employee, noted Chris Ward, solutions architect at systems integrator GreenPages Technology Solutions in Kittery, Maine. "There is always an agent or some software on the device. If something breaks, where does IT step in? Drawing those lines of responsibility is key," he said.
In theory, so-called dual persona technology helps sort out responsibilities. Notes Forrester's Kane: "If you can't control what gets installed on the device, then the best way to protect your data and assets is to make sure you can control the work environment they are deployed in." Of course, the dual persona approach comes with its own challenges, starting with the variety of products being floated and the uncertainty of which ones will prevail, said these analysts, who expect the market to shake out over the next six months to a year.
Forrester's Kane lumps the products into two bins: the "true virtualization" offerings from VMware (Horizon Mobile, a Type 2 Hypervisor  and from Open Kernel Labs (which makes a Type 1 hypervisor, essentially firmware on the phone), and the offerings from vendors that take a "more containerized application approach," such as Enterproid Inc., OpenPeak Inc. and Good Technology Inc.
"From a user perspective, there is not much difference, because they will still be seeing two environments," Kane said.
Meanwhile the two "pure play" mobile device virtualization offerings are still up against Apple Inc., which thus far has shown little interest in allowing mobile virtualization vendors access to the hooks required for dual persona phones. Getting on the mobile Windows phone will not be a problem, but the iOS is another matter, GreenPages' Ward said. "If VMware can't crack that code on the iOS side, I don't think you'll see Horizon Mobile go very far," he said.
Even on the Android, a Type 2 hypervisor approach might fall short, as can happen on laptops, in Ward's view. "When you're running a virtual machine on top of that piece of hardware, you're not necessarily able to use 100% of the native abilities of the physical laptop. You run into the same challenges on mobile devices," he said.
VMware moved from a Type 1 to a Type 2 hypervisor after finding that adding a Type 1 hypervisor to the physical phone added to the already long development cycle for these devices. That presented a problem because these consumer devices are short-lived in the marketplace. As TRF's Porozni notes, "That's their reason for doing it. I want a secure solution, not the one that comes to market faster." (Open Kernel Labs claims it has gotten around that problem by shipping chipsets that are virtualization-ready. "We're spending a lot of time with manufacturers to do that," said Carl Nerup, the company's vice president of business development.)
One more caveat: Some proponents of BYOD aren't sold on the dual persona approach, arguing that in a world where work and personal have become so intertwined, separating the two undermines the user experience. Moreover, toggling back and forth between segments -- even on the same device -- is not that different from carrying two devices, said Forrester's Kane, who added, "No one wants to go back to that."