Computacenter and Cisco in partnership
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• • • Securing the network for BYoD • • •
The first round of the bring your own device (BYOD) battle is over – and the users have won. Analysts predict that by the end of 2013, there will be a 249 per cent increase in the use of personal devices in the UK workplace.1
Less than a year ago, BYOD was the bane of workplace IT, with almost half of UK firms refusing to allow employees to connect their own personal devices to the corporate network.2
Users, however, voted with their fingertips – and personal smartphones and tablets are now routinely being used alongside corporate-owned workplace devices for both business and personal purposes. User power has not only compelled organisations to permit personal devices and employee choice schemes into the workplace, it has also helped to demonstrate the true business value of BYOD. Example use cases have revealed that organisations can achieve financial benefits of up to $1,300 per executive per year thanks to improved collaboration and up to $300 per knowledge worker due to improved productivity.3 Turn the clocks back 12 months and nearly a third of organisations thought BYOD would hinder rather than help productivity.2 As the productivity and financial gains become more defined, BYOD has become a friend rather than a foe in the contemporary workplace, with three-quarters of organisations now citing BYOD as a positive thing for their business.3
From reactive to proactive
This shift in opinion doesn’t mean that the BYOD adoption challenges have gone away – they are just as big as before; and getting bigger as the proliferation of workplace devices – personal and corporate - intensifies. It’s estimated by 2014 that the average knowledge worker will have 3.3 connected devices.3
As organisations struggle to bring their IT
infrastructure and user policies in line with this new era of mobility and multiple devices, round two of the BYOD is already underway in IT departments across the country.
BYOD impacts much more than just end user support and security – the two most frequently cited challenges: application provisioning, software licensing, data storage and network performance can all be affected by the increase of personal devices in the workplace.
Given the uncontrolled manner in which BYOD has permeated most organisations, IT departments have been forced to take a reactive rather than a proactive stance, addressing the biggest risks first.
As BYOD goes mainstream, IT departments need to take a more holistic and strategic approach to managing personal devices. This ‘big picture’ view is fundamental if organisations are to reap the full productivity benefits of a more mobile and flexible workforce. A smartphone is not so smart if there’s patchy wireless connectivity, poor access to collaboration tools or insufficient data protection.
The growth of personal devices in the workplace will impact every facet
of IT. Computacenter enables organisations to take a cohesive approach
that reduces risk and cost while empowering users.
Computacenter fact file
• We have more than 30 years’ experience of implementing and managing workplace, datacenter and networking technologies
• Computacenter has been a Cisco Gold Partner since 1998 and holds Cisco Master Managed Service status • We have Cisco Advanced Technology Provider specialisations in eight disciplines, including Telepresence,
Security, Networking and UCC
• Our assessment-led, consultative approach ensures that customer initiatives and investments are aligned to their business goals
• Cisco Enterprise partner of the year 2009/10 and 2010/11
• We are vendor and platform independent and have accreditations from 60 different hardware and software providers
A joined-up approach
Computacenter helps organisations take a pragmatic and unified approach to BYOD – removing obstacles and opening up new opportunities.
From the user device to the datacenter rack, we enable IT departments to establish greater control and consistency through a combination of industrialised services and intelligent solutions.
The devolved nature of BYOD means that information
security is often top of the governance agenda. With Wi-Fi hotspots and VPNs blurring where the corporate network
starts and ends, organisations need to develop a security strategy that encompasses wired and wireless connectivity as well as mobile and fixed workplace devices.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) enables organisations
to enforce context-based security policies across wired and wireless infrastructures and track who and what is on the
network - wired, wireless, or VPN.
This unique end-to-end approach means that IT departments can grant users different access rights depending on their location and device. For example, an employee using a personal smartphone on a beach could be prevented from accessing anything beyond their email and calendar. Relocate the same user to a home office and corporate laptop, and their permissions could be extended
to include more sensitive data assets, such as ERP systems
and customer databases.
Securing devices and data
Policy-based security controls can be combined with
other measures, such as two-factor user authentication, encryption and data loss prevention solutions, to provide even greater protection for corporate information assets held on personal devices.
The Cisco AnyConnect® Secure Mobility Client makes the VPN experience simpler and more secure with enhanced remote access technology. The solution includes 802.1X authentication and provides an always-on VPN experience
across a broad array of laptop and smartphone devices.
With the liability for data protection resting with the
employer regardless of who owns (or misplaces) a device, IT departments need to ensure that new BYOD security measures are also combined with comprehensive user policies and education programmes.
In particular, users need to be informed of the ramifications of any ‘remote wipe’ policies that might exist for lost or
stolen devices. When such policies are invoked to protect
corporate information assets, then personal data stored on a device – employee or employer owned - will also be deleted. Erasing data is just one example of the remote management approaches that enterprises can leverage to increase control of mobile devices. Thanks to mobile device management solutions organisations can also use software to control device activity, security and applications to ensure information is not misused.
This ability to retain central control over dispersed mobile devices will be key as organisations start to develop self-service application catalogues for enterprise users.
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• • • Securing the network for BYoD • • •
How to optimise your IT infrastructure to get the most from BYOD
Bring your own device or employee choice
programme
£
ServersApplications Wired
Network
User Devices
Data
Wireless Network Mobile
Device Management
Virtualisation Experience Infrastructure
Unified Computing
System ClientLink
Unified Communications
Manager AnyConnect
CleanAir
Aeronet access
points
Identity Services
Engine
Prime management
platform
VideoStream
Cloud delivery and aggregation
User collaboration
Application acceleration Data classification
and optimisation
Network monitoring
Network optimisation End user access
control Intrusion
protection End user
support Data loss prevention
Desktop virtualisation
A faster, smarter wireless LAN
While the security challenges associated with BYOD are well
documented, one of the other major – and often forgotten - issues is connectivity.
The desire for greater mobility is the cornerstone of the BYOD revolution. The device is just the first enabler; the second is the wireless network.
Although many organisations will have already invested in a
wireless LAN, these infrastructures were not built for intense
use on an enterprise scale. They lack capacity. And they lack security.
To unlock the full benefits of BYOD, organisations will
need to ensure their WLAN can deliver the speed and
reliability demanded by today’s mobile users and multi-media collaboration tools. They will also need to simplify management and reporting, which are currently often decentralised and time-consuming.
Computacenter works with customers to develop a WLAN
optimisation roadmap that maximises performance and
minimises costs. We will identify how existing assets can
be re-purposed to prevent unnecessary expenditure while also highlighting new technologies that can deliver financial savings and performance enhancements.
From upgrading wireless bridges, access points and controllers to increasing network bandwidth and establishing more intelligent management tools, we help organisations provision the infrastructure needed to support the explosion of mobile devices – whether they or employee or employer owned.
Cisco access points can deliver Wi-Fi connectivity up to 169 per cent faster in the 2.4GHx spectrum while Cisco
ClientLink – which optimises network capacity for mixed client environments – can increase average throughput by
65 per cent.4
Cisco’s CleanAir technology can also be used to reduce
the WLAN interference associated with radio frequency – a problem cited by 80 per cent of companies.5 With constant
low-impact monitoring, the solution accurately identifies the source and scope of the interference and takes automatic action to prevent current and future problems.
Get the foundations right for the future
With mobile devices – employee or employer owned -
augmenting rather than replacing existing client end points, organisations need to ensure their IT infrastructure is ready to support this influx of new workplace technologies.
From storage capacity and support services to datacenter processing power and network bandwidth, every element of IT needs to be scaled up.
To help right-size your IT and refine your processes for BYOD and mobile working, Computacenter offers a range of readiness assessments. As part of these workshops, we will:
• Determine current and future requirements • Pinpoint security and service continuity risks
• Audit wireless infrastructure assets for performance,
coverage and capacity
• Architect best-fit, best-value solutions for mobile device
management and connectivity
• Formulate end user access and authentication strategies • Recommend a transformation and/or optimisation
roadmap
By working with Computacenter, organisations will be able to take a cohesive approach to managing the proliferation of personal and mobile devices in the workplace.
From day-today support to workplace transformation initiatives, such as migrating to the latest operating systems or virtualising the desktop, we help reduce risk with best practice processes.
Thanks to our end-to-end expertise, we can help ensure that the IT infrastructure is primed, security controls tightened, collaboration tools optimised and the end user experience guaranteed.
A more productive and agile workplace
With employees empowered to work on both personal
and employee owned devices a cohesive approach to BYOD connectivity and device management is essential. Computacenter BYOD strategies help organisations to:
• Maximise workplace productivity and agility • Increase quality of service to customers
• Minimise business downtime caused by IT outages, travel
disruption and natural disasters
• Retain and attract the best employee talent
The faster BYOD becomes integrated into the workplace, the faster an organisation can reap these rewards. Leveraging Computacenter best practices will accelerate adoption and integration by mitigating risk, controlling costs and safeguarding service levels. By working with Computacenter organizations can make BYOD become ‘Business as usual.’
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• • • Securing the network for BYoD • • •
Harvey Nichols improves its communications to stores,
customers and suppliers
In the highly competitive world of the high street, Harvey Nichols needed to
be able to demonstrate its credentials as a world class retailer. This challenge meant its 11 worldwide stores needed to be equipped with the latest networking technologies so its staff could quickly, easily and effectively talk to and respond to customers and suppliers in a relevant and timely manner throughout the day and night.
Harvey Nichols partnered with Computacenter to evaluate its networking
requirements in response to changing market and customer demands. Harvey
Nichols wanted a network which could respond to changing communication
methods between customers, staff and devices, would simplify the disparate networking systems they already had in place and would reduce support costs.
Computacenter provided Harvey Nichols with a comprehensive review of its
network based on the business outcomes it wanted to achieve. The new
networking infrastructure provided to Harvey Nichols allowed them to put in place
a new structured cabling and unified communications networking infrastructure
including IP telephony and wireless technologies all underpinned by a new MPLS
network which Computacenter now manage and maintain on behalf of Harvey
Nichols.
The implementation of the new network has proved to be a success. It has
allowed Harvey Nichols to put in place a network infrastructure which will allow
its staff and customers to communicate in their retail environments on an array of devices across a range of technologies including wireless networking and UCC. In addition to the customer and staff benefits this new network has also helped to decrease IT complexity and reduced the cost of supporting a unified communications infrastructure by over 30%.
“Maximising the time staff spend on the shop floor is key to providing good customer service and increasing sales. The new unified communications infrastructure empowers them to safeguard the quality of the customer experience.”
Martin Schofield Retail Operations Manager, Harvey Nichols
HARVEY NICHOLS
More information
To find out how Computacenter can make sure your organisation is ready for the BYOD boom, either contact your
Computacenter account manager or speak to one of our specialists on 01707 631000. Alternatively you can get in touch at [email protected] or visit www.computacenter.com/borderlessnetworks .
1 http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240146402/UK-leading-in-personal-device-use-in-workplace
2 http://boardroom.cbronline.com/news/majority-of-uk-firms-against-bringing-your-own-device-to-work-study-111011 3 Cisco IBSG Horizons Study, May 2012
4 http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/benefits.html 5 http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns1070/index.html
Computacenter (UK) Ltd
Hatfield Avenue Hatfield
Hertfordshire AL10 9TW United Kingdom T: +44 (0)1707 631000 F: +44 (0)1707 639966
Computacenter is a leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions. From desktop to datacenter, we help our customers minimise the cost and maximise the value of IT to their businesses. We can advise organisations on IT strategy, implement the most appropriate technology, optimise its performance, and manage elements of our customers’ infrastructures on their behalf.
ready for the challenges it will encounter now and in the future,
speak to one of our specialists on 01707 631000. Alternatively
you can get in touch at [email protected] or visit
