Erich Stauffer

Tag: Mobile Phones

  • Mobile Device Management Tools

    I had a client that was looking for an “active sync monitoring/reporting/blocking tool for BYOD email access in an Exchange environment” so I researched the following solutions:

    iPhone Mobile Device Management-mdm

    Apple Mobile Device Management

    As the massive growth of iOS devices continues to rise, more IT decision makers are implementing innovative Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to efficiently manage large-scale iOS deployments while improving user productivity across the board.

    The MDM framework built into iOS gives MDM solutions the ability to wirelessly interact with iOS devices that are managed by organizations. Third-party vendors use this framework to build MDM servers that communicate seamlessly with iOS devices.

    MDM gives IT departments the ability to securely enroll devices in an enterprise environment, configure and update settings, monitor compliance with corporate policies, and remotely wipe or lock managed devices. Using an MDM server gives organizations a simple way to get users up and running with access to company services regardless of who owns the device.

    McAfee Enterprise Mobility Management

    “McAfee Enterprise Mobility Management (McAfee EMM) enables businesses to empower their work force with mobile productivity in a secure, simplified, streamlined way.”

    This service blocks, “Unauthorized, unsecured, and modified devices like jailbroken iPhones, and meet audit and reporting demands with enterprise-class reporting.”

    Free MaaS360 ActiveSync Admin Tool

    “Gain Visibility of Mobile Devices within Your Exchange ActiveSync Environment.” In the era of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), more users than ever are connecting to Exchange through ActiveSync without ITs knowledge. With the MaaS360 ActiveSync Admin Tool from Fiberlink, you can easily view all of the devices connecting to your Exchange servers through ActiveSync and remove old device associations with ease.

    The MaaS360 ActiveSync Admin Tool lets you:

    • Quickly identify the number ActiveSync device associations
    • Export mailbox and device information for reporting and maintenance
    • Remove orphaned ActiveSync devices in bulk
    • Best of all, no PowerShell knowledge is required.

    Air Watch Mobile Email Management

    “Prevent access for blacklisted devices and operating systems with device” says Air Watch, “Block access for un-enrolled, non-compliant or compromised devices”

    “Through Secure Gateway, companies can secure and manage their corporate email infrastructure by defining the business logic for connectivity. IT can allow or block both selected mobile users and approved devices and classes as well as create rule sets that require users to access mail using only approved Webmail clients and services.”

    According to Air Watch you can, “Block unmanaged devices…Discover existing unmanaged devices…Block client, user, device model or OS…Exchange 2003/2007”

    Air Watch is the largest provider of enterprise mobility management in the world. They specialize in Mobile Security, Mobile Device Management, and BYOD. They are used by companies like United Airlines, Lowe’s, Delta, US Army Corps of Engineers, NHS, and Skanska. This might be a good place to start looking.

    Exchange Server 2010 Mobile Device Management

    Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync offer many different features for both users and administrators. As an administrator, you can create allow lists, block lists, and quarantine lists specifying which mobile devices are allowed to access your Exchange mailboxes. A quarantine list lets you allow only a user’s assigned device to connect to the Exchange server.

  • NFC Phones and Digital Wallets

    NFC Phones are phones enabled with near-field communication chips.

    NFC Digital Wallets

    Companies like Google and Verizon are scrambling to be the first to implement a mobile payments system that allows a cell phone to carry and transmit credit card information. The technology involves using near-field communication (NFC) chips that can transfer small amounts of information over short distances. It allows transfer of credit card information or coupons, for example.

    Digital WalletsVerizon teamed up with Discover to try and implement a new NFC mobile payment system called ISIS, but later decided to create a digital wallet system. Google, in partnership with Vivotech, a NFC terminal provider, is following a similar path, deciding to offer a digital wallet where the credit card information is stored in the NFC chip rather than the SIM card, which is carrier-controlled.

    The winner of the battle between SIM and NFC storage of data will determine who controls the transaction and could shape the mobile payments industry for years to come. Currently retailers pay a fee to process a credit card transaction, but digital wallets have the opportunity to turn that on its head by offering retailers a part of the transaction back for accepting the NFC payment as an incentive to do so.

    It’s unclear at this time how exactly Google or anyone else would make money on the payment processing, but by putting themselves at the gateway, they have a huge advantage in influencing that in the future. Apple knows this and is why they created a mobile payments system that will work with the iPhone and iTunes.

    Credit card companies and the banks who back them make millions of dollars each year by taking a percentage of each transaction in exchange for the convenience of processing that transaction. Retailers have long looked for a way to reduce these fees and with innovations like NFC and the near ubiquitous cell phone and the credit card make the digital wallet a almost certain reality.

    What Is a Digital Wallet?

    A digital wallet stores your information in the same way a physical wallet would, but it allows users to make transactions quickly and securely because its electronic. There are two major forms of digital wallets: services that store your payment information online and electronic devices such as a smartphone that can store and transmit your payment information.

    Internet Payment Services

    An online payment service functions much like a physical wallet, allowing internet users with a convenient way to store and use online shopping information. Examples of digital wallet payment services include Paypal, Google Checkout, and Amazon.com’s 1-Click Ordering. This term is also known as “Internet payment services”.

    Electronic Devices

    NFC TransactionAn individual’s bank account and/or credit card information is usually linked to a digital wallet stored on a mobile device such as a smartphone that stores an individual’s credentials and utilize wireless technologies such as near field communication (NFC) to carry out financial transactions. They might also have their driver’s license, health card, loyalty card(s) and other ID documents stored on the phone. The credentials can be passed to a merchant’s terminal wirelessly via NFC. Certain sources are speculating that these smartphone “digital wallets” will eventually replace physical wallets. The system has already gained popularity in Japan, where digital wallets are known as Osaifu-Keitai or “wallet mobiles” and both Visa and Master Card (with Google) are working on their own systems in the United States.

    Although NFC-enabled phones will more than likely become the standard, any electronic device that allows an individual to make electronic commerce transactions can be considered a digital wallet. This can include purchasing items on-line with a computer or using a smartphone to purchase something at a store (via NFC technology or with an app like Starbuck’s Card Mobile App). Increasingly, digital wallets are being used to authenticate the holder’s credentials in the same way that a physical wallet would. For example, a digital-wallet could potentially verify the age of the buyer to the store while purchasing alcohol or cigarettes.

    Are Digital Wallets Secure?

    Digital wallets use encryption software that provides security during electronic commerce transactions. The consumer and merchants benefit because his or her information is protected against fraud. Most digital wallets reside in individuals’ online accounts or on their electronic devices, but they can also be stored on the credit card issuer’s server in what is called “thin” wallets, which is supported by most modern browsers. Both are meant to add a layer of security that some say trumps that of physically possessing a card.

  • Stay Connected with USB Backup Power

    Never miss a client’s call again when you carry along a simple, yet powerful USB battery device.

    USB charging has been around for a while, but devices that both store and charge other mobile devices are just starting to come into their own. These USB battery packs are small, affordable, and can keep you from losing a call or the last level on Angry Birds. Almost any device that can power itself off of a USB port can use one of these devices. The one exception is the iPad, which requires a lot more watts, but there are even USB battery packs for that if you need it.

    Think about it, you protect your PC with a UPC battery backup, why not your mobile phone, which is usually equal to or more important than your PC when it comes to the day-to-day operations of your business. How much would you be lost without power to your cell phone? Just keep it charged and keep a backup charged. Think business continuity and be prepared with a USB battery pack extender. It’s the right thing to do. It just makes sense for your business.

  • Erich Stauffer Web Services

    Telablue has merged with Erich Stauffer, Inc., an Indianapolis Technology Consulting company and will continue to provide web design, development, and hosting services in addition to SEO. Erich Stauffer also offers search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and online advertising. We also do computer services like network management and mobile phone support. Browse all of these services at our services page or contact us for more information by calling 317-572-7521 where we will be happy to discuss these changes with you.

  • Tablet PCs and Their Effect on Web Design

    2011 is supposed to be ‘the year of the tablet’ and while growth has exploded since 2009 it hasn’t really affected web design, but all that may soon change.

    imageIn the same way ebook readers are changing the way books are produced, tablet PCs may change the way web site content is produced. For example, how would a web site be designed differently if it were meant to be touched instead of clicked? We already have separate domains and style sheets for mobile phones, why not for other mobile devices?

    Web analytics are currently smart enough to detect browser types, but how will we detect tablet PCs. There are so many different types that we need a tablet comparison just to know what tablet runs what operating system for compatibility!

    Maybe it won’t be a problem. Hopefully it will all work out, but as technology progresses, so must web design.

  • Geek Hand and The Settler’s League

    Hate the Game, Not the Player

    I set out to create a new “Home” brand of technology consulting so that I could offer Indianapolis computer repair in homes without damaging the brand I was establishing with business customers.  I came up with “Professional Technology Consulting at Home,” but the domain was taken so I started looking around and trying different keywords.  I found that “codageek.com – The last geek you’ll ever need,” was available, but I kept looking.  I eventually stumbled upon “geekhand.com” after looking up synonyms for ‘friendly’ (handy).

    I liked “Geek Hand” enough to consider grabbing it, but I wanted to do a little bit of research on the name and domain first.  I found that it had been used prior by another person for personal use and had since been abandoned.  I liked that there were already a lot of backlinks to it from other sites, but because much of the links were from sites about gaming, I wondered if it was the right fit for my in-home computer repair business product I was developing for Indianapolis business consulting firm, Watershawl, Inc., where I was CEO.  It seemed like it might be better off as a part of my blog network at Cost Publishing Media Group as a board game micro-site.

    I went ahead and picked up the domain, setup WordPress, the theme, the plugins, and the SEO.  I created a logo for it which consisted of a 0 and 1 which has both game and binary code meanings.  I used this logo as a background on Twitter and as it’s icon.  By the way, I don’t hardly purchase domains unless the username is also available on Twitter.  In this case, both were available and I took that as a sign before purchasing the domain.  While all of this setup is going on I’m thinking about content and products to sell or promote.  I did a quick search on Amazon and determine that board games, video games, and card games would be my primary products with the “news” of the site being centered around the geek culture of movies, television, and conventions like Comic-Con.

    To promote the site automatically I did two things: I setup a Tumblr account to pull in WordPress posts automatically push tweets out to Twitter and a Facebook page to push out to Twitter anything I post there.  So I only really have to post in WordPress, then copy the link to the post to Facebook to post on what is now the ‘Settler’s League’ page there in order to have coverage to Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter all at once.  Sometimes I’ll bounce those around on my Facebook wall and on other Twitter accounts I manage for different brands.

    The next step was to add content and put the promotional procedure into place, which I did.  I had a minor problem with links overflowing in the footer, but a quick CSS tweak fixed that.  I have a WordPress theme that I use as a base for most of my Cost Pub sites.  I also make custom WordPress themes and do web design and SEO for the Indianapolis area using Watershawl’s Growmotion marketing where we Growmote web sites–first we build them then we promote them; don’t just promote your business, grow your business with Growmotion.

    Update: I have since converted Geek Hand into more of it’s original role of personal computer repair, but with a slant towards mobile phones – a play on the ‘hand’ in the title.  Here’s the link to the new Geek Hand Facebook page in case you’re interested and a link to Settler’s League’s home page.