The Boston startup Optio Labs is developing a version of Android specifically for enterprises. Its operating system is designed to be especially secure; its most interesting capability will be based on contextual awareness, where applications are allowed to run based on their location.
Contextual awareness, a fascinating new area for mobile communications, employs device sensors, location, data mining, and artificial intelligence predictions to provide specific information and perform tasks without being asked. For Optio Labs, that means enabling certain applications and hardware capabilities to run -- or not run -- in specific areas of an enterprise. Its version of Android combines mobile device management techniques with OptiCore, which includes advanced location-based algorithms based on a GhostBox project from Virginia Tech.
In many areas of an enterprise, a phone would operate normally, without restrictions. However, in areas where confidential information is stored, the device might not be allowed to transmit email or SMS or store information on a microSD card or the device. In laboratories where new products are developed (or in gym locker rooms), a phone's camera could be disabled from taking still photos and recording videos.
For extremely security-conscious organizations, data could be automatically deleted after the phone leaves a high-security area if data is allowed on the phone within the area but not in other areas of the enterprise. In addition, the phone could be locked and/or wiped if it's taken outside a city or country. Disabling devices and deleting data aren't new; this type of software has been available for years for enterprises and even consumers. But the integration of context-aware applications is new.
Optio Labs suggests a scenario where "a doctor can walk into a patient's room, automatically receive access to the patient's medical record via proximity authentication, have the medical record secured on the device via OptioCore policies, and then automatically wipe the record from the device when the doctor leaves the room's vicinity."
The company hasn't detailed the specific location technologies that the hardware and applications will use, but several technologies are available. GPS will work outdoors and sometimes indoors. Bluetooth will work indoors, as will Near Field Communication for very short distances. Indoor location is one of the hottest mobile technologies, and many companies are working on developing systems that do everything from pinpointing employees for security purposes to locating shoppers inside stores to transmit coupons.
In conjunction with location, Optio Labs' version of Android will include IT policy software, which is necessary to determine what the phone's hardware and software are allowed to do in specific locations. The company says its software will control more than 1,000 Android features. I assume that, based on the numerous capabilities of phones and the hundreds of thousands of applications available for Android, controlling 1,000 or more features is possible. The software also can block malware.
Optio Labs says it will offer the software to handset manufacturers and systems integrators for commercial products late in 2013. Regardless of whether the company succeeds, the concept of combining contextual awareness with security makes sense. In many fields, contextual awareness will become more important as it continues to evolve.
One well-known example is Google Now, which displays several types of information on an Android phone (with permission) before being asked for it. If a user always searches for New York Yankees scores, Google Now will display those scores automatically. Based on a calendar appointment, Google Now will show a map to the location with directions and the time it will take to drive, take public transportation, or walk there, depending on the user's typical mode of transportation. And it looks as if Google Now is coming to the Chrome OS and Chrome browser.
In the future, I'd like to see software that merges Optio's security-oriented capabilities with Google Now-type contextual awareness to provide enterprise-related data to employees. Perhaps such software could initially display simple information (floor maps and office locations) but evolve into showing data based upon what apps were opened and the location of the device, such as in a manufacturing facility or a customer's office. The possibilities are intriguing.
Yes, you won't be able to remove Optio's software just by resetting the phone or removing an app, but you might be able to remove it by reinstalling Android. Most users won't want to do this or know how to do it.
As for Optio releasing an app for anyone to use, we'll have to wait until later this year.
Mos t of the articles i read about Optio's Android, includin yours, say that its an OS(A version of Android), in that case it will not be as easy as resetting your phone. You will have to flash the phone whic again is not easy for normal users.
I hope that they make it more secure, but i also want them to release an app so people who want contextual awareness for some reason can also benefit from it.
From what I've read in an article by MIT Technology Review, the Optio software is stored in an area of the OS called the Android Framework. That means if the phone is rooted, the Optio software could be deleted.
Most users don't know how to root their phones, but it is possible.
Also, Optio could continue to improve its software's security to make it more difficult to remove, at least by most users.
I dobt that the optio's software will be easy to remove, other wise there is no point in having it in the first place. But this certainly does not mean that it cant be integrated into existing android phones.
There certainly have been reports of doctors, nurses, aides, etc. taking photos of patients and sending information that was unethical to transmit, if not downright illegal. I completely agree that there's a big difference between regulations prohibiting what employees may do and software that simply disables capabilities.
healthcare particularly needs this sort of cover. Just because a phone cam isn't allowed doesn't give the same protection as a system that disables it even when carried in without permission.. Thank you Alan, for the great info and for following up with answers to my questions
I guess we'll first have to determine if Optio's software can do what the company says it can. Then we could see who might be selling it (systems integrators, handset vendors) and also determine whether the software could be easily integrated into existing phones. Perhaps Optio will provide more information next year.
I think I read that completely resetting a phone to factory settings would wipe out the Optio software, so it's not buried so deep that it can't be removed. If that's the case, then perhaps it could be downloaded to existing Android handsets.
I can see a variety of enterprises that would be interested in this type of software. Any company that runs top secret or highly confidential new product labs, for example, might want to disable phones. Of course, any company with such labs already has security procedures in place, including forbidding camera phone or indeed any phones in specific areas.
And there are lots of financial companies, healthcare organizations, etc. that have extremely stringent policies in place.
I can understand and appreciate the company wanting to be in a wholesale market rather than retail. But I really hope that they aren't so narrow minded that they only see high security clients, such as govrnment and law enforcement as their only customers. More and more the corporate world is recognizing the need for more secure systems and this would fit nicely into many of the companies I have worked with.
I suspect you'd have to purchase a new device, but that's really just a guess. I also suspect that Optio isn't aiming at one-off sales, and it's going for B2B, with handset manufacturers and systems integrators being their customers, that in turn will sell the devices to secret government agencies and businesses with highly confidential data.
I'd suggest you contact Optio, but the only contact information I've seen is a Web form from Allied Minds, the investment fund for Optio.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Enterprises must keep a close eye on the Marketplace Fairness Act, now before Congress, which would allow a nationwide sales tax on US online purchases. The bill's enactment will affect every business that operates or buys from an e-commerce website.
Samsung Electronics recently announced two Galaxy Mega branded phones with enormous screens -- 5.8 inches and 6.3 inches -- that could be useful for enterprises, especially those in vertical markets.
Virtual walls combine analog and digital elements -- paper posters and wireless transmissions -- that offer fascinating business and branding opportunities for enterprises. These walls are powerful tools because they merge the emotional experiences of the analog world with the intellectual experiences of the digital world.
While many retailers bemoan customers' use of showrooming, a handful of Internet-savvy companies are embracing this trend. From their perspective, the Internet is encouraging businesses to explore innovative ways to leverage online sales with brick-and-mortar or even engine-and-wheels locations.
Skype recently acquired GroupMe, a startup developing tools to make mobile communications simpler. The move underscores dramatic changes in that market, ones that will change how executives communicate.
As enterprises leap into the Web 2.0 world of blogging, commenting, and social networking, just 'being there' won't deliver ROI. You may want a 'Web Evangelist' to systematically harvest the feedback in order to polish your product or service.
More companies are trolling social networks to find and vet potential job candidates. Beware the pitfalls of blurring the line between personal and professional lives.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
New tools like laptops, tablets, smartphone, and wireless connectivity let us work from San Diego to Katmandu, and anywhere in between. But time management remains a problem.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
Email This
