Blue Coat Introduces Security Service for Mobile Devices

Network-based service empowers employees with anytime, anywhere access; 
Protects Malaysian companies coping with BYOD trend


Kuala Lumpur, 26 November 2012 - Blue Coat Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in Web security and WAN optimization, introduces its Blue Coat Mobile Device Security (MDS) service, which is a network-based service for local enterprises to extend their IT security perimeters to mobile devices anywhere, anytime and on any network.

This new security solution is expected to close  the security gap faced by companies  rise of the 'Bring Your Own Device' (BYOD) trend amongst employees - by allowing businesses to stay in control in managing the increasing web-based threats to the enterprise network from these mobile devices and mobile browser (m.) applications. 

Jon Andresen, Blue Coat’s APAC Vice President says, “Mobile devices are changing the way businesses work, however users are almost completely unprotected against Web-based threats and potential data loss. Blue Coat's MDS service assures business that their network, as well as users are fully protected even in lieu of the BYOD trend."

According to an IDG survey, globally 71 percent of employees are already accessing the corporate network with their own devices. In APAC (including China, Australia, India and Japan), this figure is at 38 per cent and rapidly rising.

Addressing BYOD Challenges

"As businesses move to fully embrace mobile devices in their extended corporate environment, they need to overcome three real risks: Exposure to Web-based threats, data loss, and the risk of employees circumventing corporate security policies," says Andresen, adding that at the same time mobile workers do not want to be limited enterprises'  overly rigid IT security control .

Blue Coat’s new MDS service addresses these challenges by operating on a 'network level' versus 'device level'. It allows companies to extend the same level of protection and control available in corporate headquarters to mobile devices through three key features:

•          Advanced Defenses: Powered by WebPulse, MDS service is the industry’s only Negative Day Defense that is able to protect against threats faced by users on all devices

•          Granular Application and Operation Controls: Unlike mobile device-level solutions that only block entire mobile applications, the MDS service provides application and operational controls across mobile browsers as well. Companies can set flexible IT policies that prevent data loss, ensure consistent enforcement to closes the application security gap

•          Contextual Policies: Different policies can be applied based on user, device, location and content via the MDS service framework. This flexibility allows businesses to accommodate both personal and business usage without compromising on security.

Give Employees Greater Flexibility in Their Mobility

IDC states that the workplace is no longer confined to the perimeters of an office, and companies need to ensure their employees are able to work securely from anywhere. The network-based approach provides a much more comprehensive and flexible security policy for mobile devices without the need to manage thousands of new end points.

US-based furniture showroom Cantoni, Lp is a Blue Coat MDS Service user that shares: “Creating a secure environment for our employees who are constantly interacting with customers via social networking was a top priority for us. With Blue Coat, not only were we able to create a secure computer network for our offices and showrooms but we were able to extend the same level of protection for our employees wherever they went.”

Blue Coat MDS Service

The Blue Coat MDS service is available through the Blue Coat Cloud Service, an enterprise-grade global infrastructure that delivers performance and scale with a 99.999 percent service level guarantee. It is the newest component of the Blue Coat Unified Security solution, and will be available in Malaysia from December 10, 2012. To find out more, please visit www.bluecoat.com