Announcing Sophos Mobile 8.1 With Office 365 App Management

Hot on the heels of Sophos Mobile 8, we are pleased to announce that Sophos Mobile 8.1 is now available. New capabilities include support for devices running iOS 11.3, plus management and configuration of Office 365 applications on enrolled iOS and Android devices.

The new functionality means that admins can now use Sophos Mobile to manage and configure Office 365 apps on mobile devices. Admins will save time by using a single console, making policy creation and distribution very simple in the Sophos Mobile admin interface.

Office 365 app management features are available in both Sophos Central and when installed on premises. Customers will need an Office 365 license, but no other separate Microsoft license is required to enable app management.

Sophos Mobile 8.1 is available now for installation on the customer’s own premises with management in Sophos Central following on April 24, 2018.

To learn more as well as to find Sophos Mobile sales resources, please visit the Sophos Mobile product page.

Important Sophos Security Advisory for Sophos Mobile and Sophos Mobile Control

Technical Alert

Important Sophos Security Advisory for Sophos Mobile and Sophos Mobile Control Date issued: 2018-03-26 Sophos has released a security update to Sophos Mobile and Sophos Mobile Control installed on premises. Customers running Sophos Mobile managed in Sophos Central or the hosted Sophos Mobile as a Service are not affected by this issue. This update fixes a security bypass bug that could allow an unauthenticated user to access the administration console or the self-service portal. This vulnerability was responsibly disclosed to Sophos on 2018-03-21. We are not aware of any attempts to exploit this bug in the wild. We have assessed this update as critical and therefore advise you to install the update as soon as possible. • If you have Sophos Mobile or Sophos Mobile Control version 6.0 or later, please login to the Sophos License Portal, download the security patch for your version and apply immediately. • If you have Sophos Mobile Control 5.1 or earlier, you need to upgrade to the current version. For more information please read the article https://community.sophos.com/kb/128031. For more information, please read this knowledge base article on our support site: https://community.sophos.com/kb/131867.

Note: We would like to make you aware of a vulnerability affecting Sophos Mobile customers running the product installed on premises. Customers running Sophos Mobile managed in Sophos Central or the hosted Sophos Mobile as a Service are not affected by this issue. We will send the following email to all affected customers indicating any required actions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your account or support representative if you have additional questions.

PR: Sophos Mobile 8 Launch Update

Timeline:

• January 17, 2018 – Sophos Mobile as a server (SMaaS) upgrade to version 8 • January 17, 2018 – Sophos Mobile 8 for installation on premises generally available to download • February 13, 2018 – Sophos Mobile 8 available in Sophos Central • February 26, 2018 – Announcement and public launch at Mobile World Congress 2018

The Seven Deadly IT Sins: Mobile Negligence

That flashy little device in your pocket is a big security risk. Hackers are increasingly targeting mobile devices to steal data (emails, contacts, corporate data, financial information) and send premium rate SMS, using up your bandwidth in the process. Android devices are most vulnerable to threat - last year SophosLabs saw an 1800% increase in Android malware. But iOS is also at risk, especially jailbroken devices.

Sophos Mobile Control 6.1 is now available

Security made simple.

Product Notification   Sophos Mobile Control 6.1 is now available Dear Customer, We’re pleased to announce that the new Sophos Mobile Control 6.1 is now available for download and upgrade. With new management of Windows 10 computers, Apple DEP (Device Enrollment Program) support, improved email and document containers, and much more, Sophos Mobile Control 6.1 is an even better EMM solution for businesses that want to spend less time and effort to manage and secure mobile devices. For more information about what’s new, please see the knowledgebase article New features in SMC 6.1. Best regards, Your Sophos Team   Getting too many emails? Visit the Preference Center and receive the content you want or unsubscribe. © 2016 Sophos Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy 3 Van de Graaff Drive, Burlington, MA 01803.

Is your Xfinity modem a Public Hotspot?

An interesting subject was brought up at our Friday meetings couple weeks ago about how Comcast is testing a new service for making your Xfinity modem into a public hotspot for the community around you. They are doing this by creating a second signal for each device that is totally separate from the one that you use for your personal connection to the Internet through their modem. Comcast states that the secondary signal does not take away any of your speed for your side of the connection.

They also say that there is no cross connection, so you don't have to worry about somebody hopping onto your side of the network. This public access is only available to those Comcast subscribers of the Xfinity Wi-Fi network service.

"Comcast’s newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two Wi-Fi signals," the company said. "By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The second is a neighborhood 'xfinitywifi' network signal that can be shared. This creates an extension of the Xfinity Wi-Fi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords."

This service is being piloted in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia, and the greater Washington, DC metro area.

There doesn't seem to be much advantage to individual Comcast subscribers when they are at home, since anyone with a home wireless network can already set up a guest access for visitors. But subscribers could potentially benefit when their out of the house and happened to be near another Comcast subscribers wireless Gateway. Through a partnership with the CableWiFi Alliance, Comcast already has a network of more than 150,000 hotspots in more than a dozen US cities.

There been several discussions on the benefits of providing this type of service besides the obvious one of expanding a user subscription benefit, one being that it provides hotspot access for emergency use or emergency communications.

The Comcast says there is no problem with interference, one concern that I have is the number of channels that will be used in a highly concentrated area and what kind of degradation you can expect from doubling the impact from each of these connections. Are these motives intelligent enough to help with this type of issue is a question that needs to be answered. I know that with products like Aruba wireless networking that we run into this concern all the time. So I can imagine that this might not be an issue in apartment complexes where you would have many households that might be providing additional signals, congesting the airwaves.

Phillips developing uses for Google Glass in Health Care

I know we are all waiting for the day that there really is something useful that Google Glass can do for you. Well here is one being developed by Phillips Healthcare and Accenture to help surgeons interact with patient data to become more efficient and effective. If you are unaware of what Google Glass is then here is a brief explanation.

Google Glass is wearable technology that looks like eyeglasses, but without the lenses. Instead, a small prism on the right side displays information via a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to the MyGlass app on Android or iOS devices.

Google Glass was rolled out to early adopter this past year and Google is encouraging users to share their ideas and innovations to help develop the base of applications that this new user interface device can take advantage of. Researchers from the Philips Digital Accelerator Lab has collaborated with Accenture Technology Labs to come up with potential uses of Google Glass in Clinical settings.

Anthony (Tony) Jones, M.D., is the vice president and chief marketing officer for patient care and clinical informatics at Philips Healthcare. He explains, “The most exciting potential application of Google Glass in healthcare is the ability to allow providers to ‘virtually’ be in two places at once, which will have a significant impact on workflow and patient care.”

The idea is for the surgeon or other medical professional to be able to verbally request information on patient status or show images like X-Rays, MRI or other digital images to be able to quickly and simply access information as a reference while working on the patient. Patient vitals or other information would also be at their fingertips to be able to react quickly as necessary to best take care of the patient all while keeping their eyes on the patient.

“It sounds simple, but small workflow improvements like this can reduce errors and have a significant impact on patient care,” Jones says.

Surgery is not the only place where this technology can make an impact. Think about first responders, either medical, fire or police that could be looking forward at the scene and have information being presented that will make their response more informed, safer and of course help with providing a positive outcome.

Currently there are some real issues with this technology that will need to be overcome before it becomes widely accepted. Battery life is the first one that comes to mine. some method of extending the battery life needs to be adapted before this becomes a valuable tool. Also, the display is still a little small so the detail will need to get better so that more information can be displayed at a time. This is a good step and I am looking forward to seeing where this goes into the future.

Android vs. Window 8.1 (what’s best on a tablet)

I just posted and article about the ASUS Transformer Book Duet notebook/tablet that hopefully will be coming out in the near future. This unit provides both operating systems on the same system whether it is in tablet or notebook format so you don’t have to make a choice between one or the other. But if you have to make a choice now between the two, which should you choose?

James Kendrivk wrote for Mobile News/ZDNet an interesting article that describes the “4 advantages Windows 8.1 has over Android in mobile”. Take a look at his article, he makes some interesting points.

AT&T Unite Pro-Black

If you are willing to get saddled with a 2 year commitment here is an interesting product from AT&T. The Unit Pro allows you to connect up to 15 devices at one time so this is perfect for those situations where you need a portable hot spot at show or conference and you need to provide a group with internet access. It even allows an option for a special guest Wi-Fi option for added security with on-time visitors.

The unit has a bigger battery in it so you can use it for up to 16 hours before recharging. It also has the ability to provide a battery boost for your phone. With the included cable, simply attach your smartphone to your AT&T Unite Pro and share the charge from the hotspot’s battery.

With Dual-Band Wi-FI and global connectivity you will be able to use here in the US as well as abroad. With AT&T Unite Pro, you can travel internationally and stay connected globally in more than 200 countries around the world. Dual-Band Wi-Fi broadcasts both 5 and 2.4GHz, advanced settings like Guest network, block device and WPS, access internet and email on the go, on screen data usage and customization capabilities, use BatteryBoost in airplane mode where Wi-Fi is restricted.

Save $150 if you commit to a two year contract and you will need to sign up for either Mobile Share or a minimum DataPro 5GB plan. If you have the need this may be the unit you want for your travel kit.

Addendum: I had a comment mentioning that this unit can be purchased at Walmart without a commitment for $99.95. You can purchase either a one week access for $15 or one month for $50.

Nexus 2013 7 inch tablet

I was so happy with the fact that Google allowed me to send back my original Nexus 7 inch tablet for credit when for the third time it became a brick. I had to applaud them for standing by their customer, me, and making the purchase of this product right. I must say that the new tablet is much faster, has a camera on the back which I use a lot for things around the office and doing site surveys at customer sites and I have not run into any memory limitations as of yet but I am very picky about what I put onto it. I would have like the option of an SD card slot where I could add additional memory if I wanted but it is not a deal breaker for me obviously. If you make judicious use of the available cloud storage you should be fine. I have thrown all my music up to the Amazon cloud and I am able to access that from any device that use including my phone (Samsung Note II), ASUS TF300T, iPad 1 & 2, and any computer I lay my hands on.

Another surprise I had with the new design is how loud the stereo speakers are on this unit. It makes it nice to set it beside me to listen to audio books while I am working on different things in the house. I also purchased a nice simple case that has a magnet built into the front flap that acts just like the iPad magnetic cover does to turn on and off the unit. This is a quick way for me to turn of the screen display while a sound application is running that helps to cut down battery drain on the unit. When I open the cover it immediately turns on at the sign in screen to prevent unauthorized access.

This has become my go to tablet now for most everything I do. It is small enough to fit in my pocket, fit on the shelf in my car and have a large enough screen to allow me to see a movie, read a book or do some simple notes on a project. With the mail and calendar programs I use it makes it very easy to continue to communicate with the outside world and whenever I need an instant hotspot I can fire up my Verizon hotspot real quick to acquire that capability for any of the devices that I carry. I have no longer included 4G as an option to any of my device except my phone because you normally don’t need it except for short exceptions. It is much simpler to have just one plan for this purpose that I have to manage and take care of all of the machines I own.

This would probably be a good time to go over the list of apps that I use on my tablets. I choose most of them by whether they will do the job for me but I refine that to include those apps that are available on both Android as well as iOS and if possible have a browser or desktop application as well.

For the Office I use: Evernote, OneNote, OnLive Desktop, Dropbox, SkyDrive, Pocket, RingCentral, Keep, Fill and Sign PDF Forms, Lync 2013, Feedly, Adobe Reader, LogMeIn, Instapaper, Outlook Web App, Messaging,  and Skype.

For Personal and Entertainment: Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Audible, BeyondPod, Cozi, Hulu Plus, Pepperplate, Roku, Scrabble, SmugMugMobile, SquareSpace, Xfinity TV, NetFlix, WatchESPN, Plex.

I’ll go into more detail on how I use some of these programs in another posting. I hope this gives you some insight on using a tablet and maybe some detail on the Nexus 7 if this is one of those tablets that you are thinking or purchasing.Let me know how you are using your tablets for work and play, I would really like to know.

Wanting to get a new phone-T-Mobile may make it easier to swallow the cost.

If you are a technology geek like me you are always looking for new product that makes your life easier and more enjoyable and… you just want the newest stuff! If t-Mobile’s service will work for you, then their offer to pay your early termination fees if you jump from a rival carrier might make that move a lot less painful in your wallet.

The bold move is the next phase of T-Mobile's so-called "Uncarrier" strategy. The company says it will pay early-termination fees for customers when they trade in their devices with T-Mobile and sign up for T-Mobile wireless service. T-Mobile said the total value of the trade-in offer to switch carriers could be as high as $650 per line.
Read more: http://www.cnet.com/8301-35284_1-57616868/switch-he-said-t-mobile-will-take-the-penalty-for-you/#ixzz2pwMZqWMd

Take a look at the article cited above but this really sounds interesting and makes one wonder how much longer the other carriers will continue with the overpriced/outdated services.

Toshiba Chromebook

Now Toshiba is getting into the Chromebook market with a 13.3” Haswell system. Proposed price is $279 and will sport a dual-core Celeron, 2GB of RAM, dual-band 802.11n WiFi, (2) USB 3.0, (1) HDMI, (1) card reader port and 16GB SSD which puts its specs on the same level as most of the Haswell Chomebooks on the market at the moment. Some other models have up to 4GB of RAM but since Chrome is not a memory intensive operating system having a little less probably won’t matter. Rated at 9 hours of battery life will make this a very useful during a hardworking day.

Toshiba is hoping to differentiate itself from their competitors by offering a 13.3 inch screen as compared to most of the other units at 11 inches. The display resolution will be about the same, 1366x768, a larger screen will probably help with productivity. You know, as we get older, the bigger the characters the better. Weight is in between 11 inch and 14 inch systems being just over 3 pounds. If you are looking at purchasing a Chromebook this might be a good option. Should become available around February 16th.

Getting a Grip on Mobile Malware

View this on-demand webcast to understand how and why the popularity of Android devices makes them an increasingly attractive target for malware writers. You’ll also learn what you can do to keep mobile malware at bay.

View this video

SC Magazine awards Sophos Mobile Control v3.5 a 5 Star Rating

Sophos Mobile Control v3.5

QUICK READ

• Strengths: Easy to deploy and manage with a vast set of features.
• Weaknesses: Administrator guides could have had a few more visual elements.
• Verdict: If the documentation was just a bit more complete, this would be a perfect-scoring product. Even so, Sophos Mobile Control receives our Recommended designation.

Read the full article here…

FAA easing ban on electronics during takeoff, landing

Interesting article from arstechnica:

The words "please stow all electronic devices" may soon disappear from the scripts of flight attendants. The Federal Aviation Administration is poised to lift its ban on the use of electronic devices aboard airline flights at elevations under 10,000 feet. It would also allow the use of e-readers, iPods, tablets, and phones in "airplane" mode even during take-offs and landings. The Wall Street Journal reports that the FAA is circulating a draft set of recommendations from an advisory panel that recommends relaxing the bans. Use of cell phones during flight would still be banned.

The report acknowledges that technology has changed dramatically since the FAA originally placed the ban on electronic devices during takeoff and landing back in the 1960s, when there were valid concerns about interference to aircraft communications from personal radios and other electronics. The panel also admitted that having airlines each evaluate the safety of individual electronic devices before allowing them to be left on at low altitude "has become untenable." Passengers are widely ignoring the ban already, and the FAA advisory panel's report cited research that showed a third of airline passengers had "accidentally" left a device turned on for entire flights at least once.

An FAA spokeswoman sent a statement to the Wall Street Journal that said that the FAA "recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft, that is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions. At the group's request, the FAA has granted the two-month extension to complete the additional work necessary for the safety assessment."

Lenovo to offer No-Contract Mobile Broadband Service

Press Release: Lenovo today introduced Lenovo Mobile Access, a flexible, no-contract mobile broadband service that gives consumers and business users greater choice and flexibility when connecting to valued online services. Lenovo Mobile Access provides pre-connected, always-on, customizable connectivity to the Internet and corporate networks, making it an ideal solution for users who need access to online content, applications and services away from their home, office or public Wi-Fi hotspots. Powered by a scalable cloud-based platform from Macheen Inc., the service is now embedded across select models of the ThinkPad product line and available immediately in the United States and nine European countries.

Designed to fit the needs of both individual and “prosumer” customers, Lenovo Mobile Access delivers broadband connectivity that’s available anytime, anywhere yet users pay only for the access they need. Flexible, no-contract payment options let casual users buy a “Time Pass” for as little as USD 1.95 for 30 minutes or USD 8.95 for one day—perfect to quickly sync email or ensure online access during travel. Users with more frequent connectivity requirements, or who work with large media files can purchase monthly plans with 2GB or 6GB of data access, along with the option for automatic monthly renewal. Businesses can leverage the same pay-as-you-go options, helping them reduce the cost of mobile broadband connectivity with right-sized access that can be extended to large numbers of individual employees.

Business customers can also take advantage of intelligent features designed to streamline device management, increase security and productivity for mobile employees, and reduce operational expenses. All ThinkPad laptops with embedded mobile broadband connectivity ship with Lenovo Mobile Access pre-activated as the default configuration. A single SIM is used for global access, enabling mass roll-out capabilities over a secure connection. Web-based policy management tools let IT administrators customize permissions and access options by services or application, for the whole company, specific workgroups, or individual users. Simple payment options allow centralized, single-payer end-of-month billing for corporate arrangements.

Pricing and Availability
Lenovo Mobile Access is available immediately in select models of ThinkPad Classic and ThinkPad Edge laptops equipped with a 3G module. At launch, the service is available in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Contract-free time passes are available in the following increments and data allotments: 30 minutes (30 MB), 1 day (200 MB), 1 month (2 GB) and 1 month (6 GB). Auto-renewable, bandwidth-specific monthly plans are also available for data allotments of 200 MB, 2 GB and 6 GB. Country-specific pricing information is available on the Lenovo Mobile Access control panel.

The service will formally launch on July 1st, but the manufacturer is already shipping out laptops equipped with the required internal hardware to facilitate the mobile broadband option — which does not require a dongle.

Vertical Ready to Go Mobile with Wave 3.0

Press Release:

Vertical Communications is pleased to announce that Wave 3.0, featuring Vertical’s new ViewPoint Mobile enterprise mobility application, has been approved for “Release to Manufacturing” today, following the successful completion of our field trial and release criteria. With this solution, businesses and users will be able to enjoy reliable and seamless mobile access to all of their Wave premise-based enterprise communications services and tools, including unified communications, collaboration, presence management, call recording, telephony and market-specific applications. With the release of Wave 3.0, ViewPoint Mobile will be available for devices that run iOS version 4.3 or greater. (An Android version of ViewPoint Mobile is expected to be released later this year.) Wave 3.0 also features the addition of DSS/BLF for Edge 5000 IP phones and support for future hardware upgrades to the Wave platform.

The availability of ViewPoint Mobile represents a significant milestone in the evolution of business communications – and for your Wave customers! An all-in-one solution that extends the Wave’s powerful, premise-based communications services and features to smartphones and tablets, ViewPoint Mobile meets the needs of organizations of all sizes that rely on geographically dispersed offices and mobile workers to ensure that all staff have ready access to mission-critical features and business tools, whether they are in the office or out in the field. Most importantly, ViewPoint Mobile is built right into the core Wave IP appliance, giving you the ability to cost-effectively leverage advanced mobility capabilities when they’re ready or need to do so, without having to invest in any additional hardware or software.

ViewPoint Mobile offers a full array of premise-based unified communications, telephony, collaboration and business-specific functions to mobile users, including:

• Embedded presence management
• Access to Apple iOS contacts without leaving ViewPoint Mobile
• "One tap" call transfer, hold and conferencing
• Instant Messaging through Vertical's embedded IM server
• Voice mail Interface
• Built-in call log
• Embedded call recording
• Specific inbound/outbound DID number that is separate from personal numbers

Vertical will begin shipping new systems with Wave 3.0 the week of May 29, with subscription upgrades for existing Wave customers available within 90 days of product General Availability. The ViewPoint Mobile application also will be available for download from V-Connect and Apple’s App Store (through the Vertical AppMarket) the week of May 29.
For more information, be sure to visit and direct your customers to the new Vertical Mobility Solutions page on vertical.com at http://www.vertical.com/mobility/.

Brochures:

• Wave ViewPoint Mobile
• Wave IP Business Communications Systems
• Wave Call Recording
• Wave Contact Center
• Wave ViewPoint
• The Vertical Difference

Scanning with my iPad, too!

If you are like me and have allowed your mobile self to become more and more centered around your iPad, then you may be looking for as many different applications that you can use your iPad or iPad2 for. Brookstone makes many different devices for that person in your life that has everything and in the beginning of February they will be introducing a new product called iConvert® Scanner for iPad or iPad 2 Tablet. My immediate response is neat! However, why does it only scan to jpeg images? Why not the universal PDF file format?

Priced on introduction at $149 it is a little on the pricey side but if you have a need for scanning paper while on the road, here is a solution. This unit will work with both iPad and iPad2, scan in high-resolution 300 dpi to a JPEG format. The front feeder will adjust from 2 inches to 8.5 inches. The scanner works with a free app that you can download from iTunes. Hopefully someone will write a new app that will allow you to capture your scans to PDF format and allow you to store them out to the cloud (iCloud or DropBox would be nice). It is powered by an included AC adapter, I wonder if will also charge the iPad when it is attached. This compact scanner fits easily in your briefcase or backpack, measuring 12.1"w x 4.4"d x 2.8"h and weighing just 1.44 lbs. Let me know your thoughts…