"We are living in a world that only 20 years ago was the realm of science fiction." I love this introduction to a new whitepaper written by the SANS institute. The paper opens with a discussion on how devices "once just barely imaginable have become common consumer items, carried casually in pockets and purses, with constantly growing capabilities". Our smartphones are becoming extensions of ourselves - and as such we need to be able to access not only email, messaging and websites on these devices, but also the content that we interact with every day.
In the whitepaper, Barbara Filkins of SANS, states that with today’s user-driven demand for mobile access to content, there are new policies that need to be thought through. The times-are-a-changing - and unfortunately, today's policies are lacking. In the SANS Survey on Mobility/BYOD Policies and Practices, more than 95 percent of respondents stated that policy is a critical protection that needs to be integrated into an all-encompassing security risk management scheme. Yet 38 percent do not have the policies they feel are necessary, and many rely primarily on user education and agreements without implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM) as part of their security strategy.
Content management tools are adapting to embrace mobile users. New solutions are emerging that are designed for the unique needs of enterprise today's users. But, what's different about content today? It is not only consumed, but needs to be both accessed and edited or changed - and it now carries contextual information.
There are many things to think about when planning for Mobile Content Management. The whitepaper dives deeper into enablers and challenges of a content policy and privides great recommendations for a checklist for your own policy creation. The following five steps are explored in both the whitepaper and a webinar with SAP.
Checklist for Your Mobile Content Managment Policy
Step 1: Objectives—Understand Your Business Needs, Processes and Requirements
Step 2: Assessment—Know Your Content
Step 3: Requirements—Match Technology to the Need
Step 4: Implementation—Identify Tools and Techniques that Support Security Requirements
Step 5: Future Proofing—Build a Technology Roadmap for ECM
I encourage you to explore this subject, and as you plan your mobile content strategy for 2013, join the webinar on December 1st with SAP and SANS. Registrants who register for the webinar wll also receive a copy of the detailed whitepaper. This is one that any enterprise who knows that you can't manage content through iTunes or email won't want to miss!
You can register for the Webinar here.
