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Chapter 5 IT Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies 213

Sybase Afaria, Trellia, Microsoft Systems Center prohibit saving data on local devices, to encrypt all
Device Manager, and Odyssey Software Athena have corporate data without touching employees’ personal
capabilities for configuring devices remotely, enforcing applications and data, and to remotely erase the data
different sets of policies for different users and devices, in the event of a security breach. India’s Anthem
and managing applications running on all of them. Group, a leading provider of pharmaceuticals and bio-
Novo Nordisk, headquartered in Denmark, manu- technology services, implemented Citrix XenDesktop
factures and markets pharmaceutical products and to enable employees to remotely access data because
services throughout the world. Its 2,000-member sales this virtualization solution runs on all devices with
force operates in 25 different countries, and uses a minimal bandwidth consumption.
diverse assortment of mobile phones, smartphones, In order to successfully deploy mobile devices,
and mobile handhelds. To manage all of these devices companies need to carefully examine their business
centrally, Novo Nordisk implemented Sybase Afaria. processes and determine whether or not mobility
Using Afaria, the company’s internal IT department makes sense for them. Not every firm will benefit
can deploy new applications to mobile devices quickly from mobility to the same degree. Without a clear idea
and without extensive end-user interaction. A new of how exactly mobile devices fit into the long-term
mobile phone user just needs to answer “yes” to Novo plans for the firm, companies will end up wasting
Nordisk’s configuration process and the installation their money on unnecessary devices and programs.
happens automatically. Afaria also has features for One of the biggest worries that managers have about
enabling individual countries or regions to provide mobility is the difficulty of measuring return on
their own local support, a necessity since each Novo investment. Many workers swear by their mobile
Nordisk market has it own data connections, policies, devices, and the benefits are too significant to ignore,
and requirements. but quantifying how much money is earned or saved
Another approach to mobile device management by going mobile can be difficult.
is virtualization. Companies can install software such Sources: Boonsri Dickinson, “Security Headaches: BYOD Users
as Citrix Systems XenDesktop that runs Windows Expected to Double by 2014,” Information Week, August 8, 2012;
desktops and individual applications on any device, “Anthem Group Enables Secure Remove Access with Citrix
XenDesktop and XenServer,” expresscomputeronline.com, July 20,
regardless of the operating system. Employees then
2012; “So You Want to Use Your iPhone for Work: Uh-Oh,” The Wall
use that software to access their entire desktop on Street Journal, April 25, 2011. Samuel Greengard, “Managing Mobility
their smartphones and mobile handhelds, and are in the Enterprise,” Baseline, January 28, 2011; Dell Computer,
“Management Madness: How to Manage Mobile Devices,” mkting.
thus able to use the same programs on the road that
cio.com, accessed July 18, 2011; and Dell Computer, “Is Your
they use in the office. The virtualization software has Infrastructure Mobile-Ready?” www.cio.com, accessed May 21,
built-in security features that allow corporations to 2011.

CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3. Allowing employees to use their own smartphones
allowing employees to use their personal for work will save the company money. Do you
smartphones for work? agree? Why or why not?
2. What management, organization, and technology
factors should be addressed when deciding whether
to allow employees to use their personal
smartphones for work?

CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud computing is a model of computing in which computer processing,
storage, software, and other services are provided as a pool of virtualized
resources over a network, primarily the Internet. These “clouds” of computing
resources can be accessed on an as-needed basis from any connected device
and location. Figure 5.10 illustrates the cloud computing concept.

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