Psion Release
Psion Launches Personal
PDA Policy to Preserve Corporate Security Guide To
Thursday March 8, Psion has launched a guide to
help companies manage the roll-out of mobile devices securely and successfully
in the workplace. Having spoken to IT directors concerned about how to integrate
mobile devices and applications into office systems, Psion has produced guidelines
on personnel, technical and security issues for IT teams and systems administrators
thinking of implementing a handheld computing policy.
Psion warns that companies that do not monitor the use
of individual handheld devices could be leaving their entire networks open
to security risks. The guide includes advice on which type of PDA to choose,
how to avoid viruses being spread from handhelds to the corporate network
and how to ensure maximum security of company documents.The guidelines can
be tailored to an individual company, but Psion advises IT departments to
audit employees' use of handhelds and then go on to design their own policy.
"Now is the time to set the standards,
before mobile devices are so pervasive that businesses no longer have control,"
said Craig Swallow, international sales director at Psion. "A
lot of people are buying palmtop devices and then bringing them into the office
for business use. Companies need to know what equipment staff are using so
they can promote better ways of working with them." Businesses
risk not only security breaches, but over-spending and inefficient working
practices if they do not set down regulations for users.
As the range of peripherals and handheld computing products
increases, Psion's guidelines will help make businesses aware of the issues
they face when it comes to implementing a PDA policy in the workplace.
"Although some of the handhelds
on the market are great for pure personal and consumer use, the real future
will be in the functionality that can maximise business and professional working
practices," Swallow continued. "Policies
should be based on the potential for harm as well as creativity and flexibility.
Laptop use and abuse has been pretty much taped up, but this is a new phenomenon
which has to be caught on to now."
"Powerful mobile devices demand
particular security vigilance as the threat from virus and hacking attacks
through a mobile workforce continue to escalate. We feel that this is the
right time to raise the PDA policy issue as handhelds are becoming crucial
to most global enterprises," said D K Matai, managing director
at mi2g. "More powerful machines
are able to execute a continuous security shield without noticeable user discomfort
so it is better to invest in such machines at a corporate level."
Notes to Editors:
About Psion: Psion Plc is the world leader in mobile digital computing
and communications with a well-earned reputation for innovation and technological
leadership. Psion designs, develops, manufactures and markets handheld computing
products for enterprise, consumer and industrial markets. Psion has a world-wide
distribution network comprised of sales companies in the USA, Germany and
Holland, as well as more than 50 independent overseas distributors. Psion
is the majority shareholder of Symbian Ltd. Psion's mobile computing devices
are ideally suited to wide-scale deployment within organisations seeking to
empower their workforce with secure mobile access to information over the
Internet or Intranet. This, coupled with a wide choice of mobile working solutions
from the likes of Oracle, Extended Systems and Citrix, creates numerous opportunities
for the deployment of these devices.
Further information about Psion Plc can be found at http://www.psion.com.
For Psion customer enquiries, please contact: Customer Services Tel: +44 (0)
870 1010500 or Fax: +44 (0) 20 7317 4226
About mi2g software: mi2g software works with major financial institutions
in the banking, insurance and reinsurance sectors to change and e-enable their
entire business. mi2g's e-business solutions engineering pays particular regard
to security. It is focussed on the management of e-risk and incorporates bespoke
security architecture. mi2g software builds highly secure intranets
and extranets, e-commerce communities and data warehouses that are specifically
constructed for data mining, Customer Relationship Management and cross-selling.
UNS Contact: For further press information about Psion or photography,
please contact: Leonie Toal Lucinda Mould / Debbie Silton Psion Plc Press
Office LEWIS PR Tel: +44 (0) 20 7317 4120 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7802 2626 Email:
leonie-toal@psion.com Email: lucindam/debbies@lewispr.com; Web: http://www.psion.com
Web: http://www.lewispr.com
For further information about mi2g software, please contact: Intelligence Unit, mi2g
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7924 3010 - Facsimile: +44 (0)
20 7924 3310 - eMail: intelligence.unit@mi2g.com
