The Search for Mobile Device Security That Really Works with ZTNA
By Dave Cohen, Mobolize | Chief Strategy Officer
What’s a mobile device nowadays? It’s not just the smartphone. It’s also laptops and tablets because workers are much more mobile today than they were pre-pandemic. Research shows that we use multiple devices throughout the day to review content, respond to email and share the documents we create. We work at home (I do, as do all Mobolize employees) or at independent work spots but not always at the office. Full time office work may not come back for a while, if ever.
Not being within the enterprise network causes a problem regarding security for IT leaders who need to keep the security wall impenetrable no matter where each employee is located or what device they are using. It’s especially critical for Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) where personal computer security is key, although so is security for smartphones and tablets used by many employees.
But the search is on for bringing top-level, enterprise-focused mobile device security that really performs with ZTNA security. While there are lots of legacy VPNs out there, the preferred approach is ensuring that VPNs can deliver complete mobile device security for PCs, MACs, tablets and smartphones that IT leaders can deploy with confidence.
For a security vendor bringing Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) with ZTNA to market, Mobolize has the technology and the experience to deliver true next-gen SASE features for endpoint and mobile including support for Domaine Name System (DNS) Security and ZTNA. In fact, Mobolize’s expertise is that we provide a client connector for all enterprise endpoints from the mobile smartphone to the desktop.
Below is summary of the key things we deliver in our on-device Data Management Engine that meet these challenges and power our endpoint and mobile ZTNA connector solution. Our Data Management Engine is the key differentiator that IT leaders need.
- There is an app for that:ZTNA solutions must support both web applications, mobile apps and cloud services. A ZTNA solution must support the range of enterprise software utilized across employee devices including the need to seamlessly connect to intranet servers across the corporate network.
- Go full SASE: It’s not easy to mix and match different products/vendors because they will often conflict at the network level of the mobile endpoint device because of multiple client requirements. What’s needed is a single solution that can provide both access (ZTNA) and protection using a single client that manages all mobile devices. A full SASE feature set should be available for desktop and mobile users.
- 100% mobile app compatibility:When users spend 90% of their time in apps, it is critical that the mobile SASE solution doesn’t break any mobile apps otherwise users just won’t use it, or worse, turn off the security app. This is the hard issue that most enterprises struggle with because there are so many apps (millions of them) and variables to consider. For example, can mobile security software automatically detect and handle apps that do cert pinning? Mobolize can.
- Real splitting for the real world:Look for a solution that flexibly controls the routing of traffic at an app level including no more tracking of IP ranges. For example, can the architecture easily split all Netflix and YouTube servers direct to the internet and do so reliably even if their applicable IPs are vast and frequently changing? And DNS splitting – can it support DNS lookups to company intranet hostnames while simultaneously supporting LAN hostnames on the home Wi-Fi (e.g., printers, smart speakers, etc.)?
Our on-device Data Management Engine has been successfully commercialized and integrated into a range of partner’s security solutions that enhances the endpoint-to-server effectiveness and raises our partner’s competitive SASE market position. This is why our Data Management Engine has been selected to power the solutions by leading security and access providers.
If ZTNA is a strategic security priority even if growing from existing CASB server resources, we can help make it happen. The solution search for complete mobile to desktop device security that really works with a company’s unique ZTNA security solution is over by partnering with Mobolize.
