4th Quarter 2011 Newsletter

Mobile Devices

Being able to work on the run has become a critical function of any business. Sending and receiving email, accessing documents, even making bank transfers from a mobile device is something that happens thousands of times each day in each organization around the world. The positive side of this environment is that we are more productive and providing better customer service than we have ever provided before. The negative side to working via a mobile device is that we may be leaving our organizations open to become compromised.

In the past few years, more and more individuals are bringing their own phones and tablets to work and setting them up to work on a corporate network. It’s called ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD). Instead of an employer providing the mobile devices, the employees of an organization bring the devices of their choice to work and sync them up with email, calendars, tasks and documents. They are used to access pc’s or data remotely, run apps, and essentially become an extension of the workspace. The data on these devices are quite often confidential in nature, and if lost or stolen, could provide irreparable harm to the organization. Very few organizations have a policy around these devices, let alone actual management.

The individuals responsible for IT are responsible for setting up, configuring, troubleshooting and dealing with threats around the mobile platforms, but have not had a way to effectively manage them. This results in having to learn several devices and configurations, which leads to hours of dealing with technical support to solve problems when the devices don’t work like they are expected. In addition to this, when users lose a device, an unknown amount of data could be lost or compromised. This doesn’t account for the times when an employee randomly replaces their phone with a newer version "just because they decided to". Then, want it to work first thing when they come back to the office. In recent months, a few solutions to the management problem have started to emerge.

First, it should be noted that all devices that are allowed to sync to a corporate network, be required to have a password to unlock them. While this is far from a solution that will stop all loss of data, it goes a long way in protecting corporations from a person who may loose their phone. Some devices have the ability to erase all data if the password is tried and fails after several attempts. It is also a good idea to enable this function, but be careful if you have kids who play with your phone on a regular basis. Unlock it before allowing them to play with it, or ensure they know how to unlock it.

The solutions that are now available, allow an IT department to manage these devices very much like they can a computer, without infringing on the privacy of the user. There is a delicate balance to be maintained because the mobile device is our camera, a photo album, GPS, and even our grocery list. These solutions provide the IT department the ability to configure email, calendar, files, and even deploy apps for the organization (under terms and conditions) without hindering the employee’s data. In the event that the device is lost, the corporate data can be removed remotely and if the device has GPS location services enabled, the devices can even be tracked to locate them. The ability to remove corporate date, or even erase the device remotely, will help ensure the organization is protected from lost data or information that may be used to compromise the corporate network.

The need for this type of management is becoming a vital portion of a an organization's properly managed security policy. In order to meet that need, the JMARK team is working to find the best mobility management solution that will most effectively meet the needs of our clients. These management solutions are just now to a maturity level where they can effectively accomplish the needs necessary, without causing more pain for the IT departments. We will announce the availability of the additional services as soon as we have it tested and operational.

JMARK #1397 Fastest-Growing Co. In USA

On August 23, 2011, JMARK was named to the 2011 Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies. In the last three years, JMARK has experienced 203% growth and is NO. 158 in the IT Services Industry Rank category out of 640 companies on Inc.'s 5000 list.

"Being ranked on the list is an honor but to move up 438 spots is thrilling," said Thomas H. Douglas, President/CEO of JMARK Business Solutions, Inc. "The future looks bright at JMARK because everyone on our team is doing what it takes every day to create opportunities and to deliver the technology services that we promise to our clients. We feel very fortunate to be growing despite difficult economic conditions that are hitting other industries so hard.”

"Now more than ever, we depend on Inc. 500/5000 companies to spur innovation, provide jobs and drive the economy forward," states Inc. magazine Editor Jane Berentson. "Growth companies, not large corporations, are were the action is."

Despite the fact that most of this year’s measuring period of 2007-2010 took place during America's stagnant economic environment, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $366 billion, up 14 percent from last year. The effects of the recession are seen, however, in the median three-year growth rate, which dropped to 94.1 percent from last year’s 96 percent. This year’s Inc. 5000 created 370,592 jobs in the last three years, which has lead to them being referred to in Inc. magazine as "The Engines of the Economy".

The 2011 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies must be U.S. based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies, and have had at least $100,000 in revenue in 2007, and $2 million in 2010. The magazine surveys America's private independent businesses to take a comprehensive look at a critical part of the economy. The companies vary in what they do, including digital media companies, retailers, food and beverage companies, and software and telecommunications businesses.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on www.inc.com/inc5000.