ForeScout And AirWatch Partner To Offer Secure BYOD Strategies

All types and sizes of retail businesses are considering the benefits of implementing bring your own device (BYOD) policies, which enable employees to connect their personal smartphones and tablets to enterprise Wi-Fi and associated applications. However, if a personal device will be requesting corporate data, the merchant must ensure that data is secure.

ForeScout Technologies, a provider of real-time network security solutions, and AirWatch, a mobile device management (MDM) company, have partnered to release a comprehensive mobile security solution. The offering was designed to combine benefits of the network access control (NAC) solution from ForeScout, called ForeScout CounterACT, with AirWatch MDM.

Using the joint solution, retailers can execute flexible, scalable and secure BYOD strategies. The solution allows organizations to detect unregistered devices, such as iPads, iPhones and Androids. IT team members then can take a variety of actions, including: allow, block, limit, or register device users as guests; and segregate and initiate device compliance inspection. To ensure corporate data is secure, merchants also can enforce passcode policies for mobile devices that join the network.

Enterprise users can install AirWatch MDM on their devices through an automated, self-enrollment process. Once devices are registered, retailers can designate access to corporate email, Wi-Fi, the virtual private network and/or enterprise applications.

“IT organizations need solutions that help them easily manage enterprise accessibility and meet BYOD demands regardless of the types of users and devices connecting to their networks,” said Gord Boyce, CEO of ForeScout. “The ForeScout-AirWatch partnership delivers a layered approach to overcome the unique challenges of BYOD via integrated mobile device visibility, end-to-end management and security.”