The Lippis Report

January 31st, 2011

There are powerful market forces changing IT delivery. IT application delivery is becoming increasingly centralized thanks to data center server virtualization plus mobile and cloud computing. Desktops are being virtualized, too, thanks to network speeds that deliver low latency and high bandwidth, creating a thin client user experience that is indistinguishable from a thick client but at lower desktop management cost. One serious implication of this concentration of IT in data centers is that a new IT security model is needed as mobility brings greater threat exposure while virtualization changes traffic patterns and the rules of security appliance placement. In this Lippis Report Research Note, we present a new model for IT security in the virtualized mobile and cloud-computing era.

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March 9th, 2010

No matter where you look today the structure of IT is fundamentally changing. Applications are increasingly being accessed from mobile devices along with traditional laptop, desktop and even kiosk machines. SaaS has taken off and is far more prevalent than most executives realize as they are acquired by line of business and divisional budgets, leaving many IT leaders blind-sided and out of control with their relevance coming into question. As a result corporate application portfolios are shifting in their mix under IT leaders from one of total control to partial control to none. In short, IT leaders are finding that the largest application growth in their corporation is coming from outside of their traditional perimeter and with no control knobs. In essence applications and networks are becoming borderless.

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March 9th, 2010

IT leaders are not comfortable with mobile computing security. And they do have a lot to be concerned about as securing a plethora of different devices accessing both corporate and SaaS applications from a vast array of locations and network access methods is a challenge. Traditional VPN methods are too cumbersome for users and don’t factor the huge growth in SaaS application use. A new model for securing remote and mobile access is needed and Cisco has delivered one. Cisco just launched AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client that offers a simple use model for mobile workers that leverages Cisco’s ASA, IronPort Web Security Appliance, ScanSafe, and SIO to wrap a corporate perimeter around its mobile workforce. Kevin Kennedy, Product Marketing Manager at Cisco Systems discusses a new approach to securing mobile computing.