Virtua Team Talk

You may have seen an article in last week’s Financial Times about the pros and cons of taking work away with you on holiday. It’s an interesting topic which obviously touched a nerve for a lot of readers. The article was based on the idea of a vision of the ‘near future’ where the boundaries between work and holiday may become more and more blurred and work and leisure time become less well defined.

Essentially the concept is based on using today’s technological capabilities to keep in touch with the office while simultaneously taking more time off as ‘holiday’.

Research suggests that more and more of us are routinely packing our laptops, iPads, smartphones and Blackberries when we head off to the sun ‘just in case’ the office needs to get in touch. Although there is no official term for this idea yet the words ‘Workation’ and Holiwork’ are starting to emerge as favourites!

As might be expected from such a contentious subject, opinions vary widely and many people have already responded to the article with their views, both for and against.

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We all know that the latest smartphones are getting more and more sophisticated these days which means outwitting the cybercriminals is a constant challenge as would-be fraudsters increasingly go mobile.

Last week for example, ‘Android Market’, the shop front for applications aimed at Android smartphones, was hit by approximately sixty malicious apps. Although they did little real damage (other than to Android’s reputation) the incident has served to put the issue of mobile security firmly back into the headlines.

It is because today’s mobile phones are virtually mini-computers, with some important added extras, that they are increasingly attractive to criminals.

The type of personal data typically stored on a phone including address books, calendars, personal data and even bank account details provides instant access to information for the modern fraudster’s preferred crime – identity theft. However, a more immediate income can be made from so-called “rogue dialling” programs which are malicious bits of code capable of placing calls, unbeknown to the owner.

According to Ovum analyst Graham Titterington, rogue dialling is currently the number one malware threat to smartphones. Rogue dialling automatically connects the phone to a premium number that belongs to another fraudster usually based in another country.

This is a serious problem, but it is not insurmountable, and potentially the mobile operators have the ability to cut off payments. At the moment though, this type of international co-operation is sadly lacking.

Another feature attractive to fraudsters is the close relationship between smartphones and location. This poses a risk that malicious apps will be able to track exactly where a person is at any given time and could even be used to find out when someone is away from home.

The popularity of the Android in particular is making it attractive for criminals. Some experts believe that it is only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic security lapse and then we will all wake up to the reality of the threats from criminals. Android may be the one to have hit the headlines recently but all smartphone operating systems have been targeted by malware of one kind or another.

To date, most iPhone security lapses have been related to offering users the power to break free from Apple’s control with software which modifies the iPhone enabling users to run non-Apple approved software. Several bugs have taken advantage of these so-called “jail-broken” phones. Another relatively harmless iPhone worm which changed the handset’s wallpaper was followed a few months later with a more serious bug that targeted people using their iPhones for internet banking with Dutch online bank ING.

Blackberry handsets and Symbian phones have also been targeted by a mobile version of the “Zeus” trojan. Victims were directed to a fake website where they were invited to download an app which then captured their banking details. And as consumers demand more services on their mobiles like electronic wallets and banking the potential for criminals to steal is huge.

The challenge for the mobile operators is to remain constantly vigilant and to consider how potential criminals can be thwarted by appropriate technical security measures. Today’s cyber criminal is enterprising and imaginative and it is essential that the operators remain at least one step ahead to keep consumers safe from the consequences of identity theft and fraud.

Here at Virtua we are always delighted to get involved in exciting new initiatives and one of our current projects is deploying LPGSM systems using the recently released GSM1800 spectrum specific to FMC in-building systems.

We are deploying the technology, which is essentially a new primary phone system, for major businesses across the UK for use in their offices and retail stores. Using this technology our clients will be able to use mobile phones and smartphones to communicate with each other using their own internal network, rather than relying on the external public wireless mobile networks, which are serviced by other carriers. Not only do these deployments give customers fantastic network coverage within their premises but it also enables them to make mobile calls between employees at very low cost.

The radio spectrum used for this deployment is restricted in its power output so we need to ensure that the system is contained within and around their premises so that it does not interfere with existing wireless operators’ networks or other organisations in the vicinity. This however is a huge advantage rather than a restriction because of the system’s many benefits.

For this project we are working closely with a company called iBwave utilising their tools to accurately model our designs and plan our deployments of ‘in-building’ wireless networks. It is incredibly exciting technology that allows us to model entire premises, design the perfect system, plan contingencies and above all provide customers with the best possible cost effective solution. This is proving to be a great business relationship with both companies applying their particular expertise for the benefit of our clients.

Another exciting element is that this relatively new way of doing business may well lead to organisations changing their perceptions about how office space is allocated. Today most organisations allocate office space by putting groups of desks together that seat employees working within the same functional area -  each desk has its own fixed phone line. With our new technology installed this is no longer necessary. Employees can stay in constant contact with each other regardless of wherever in a large multi-floored building or office complex they happen to be. This means the new phone system is likely to remove a lot of restrictions associated with office planning and desk location and provide much greater operational flexibility.

We choose iBwave as our design and planning automated software tool because our GSM deployments need to be perfect. Our customers depend heavily on these systems to run their businesses and we wanted to do everything we could establish robust systems. Our team includes the best radio designers and we wanted them to have the best tools to efficiently do their job. Choosing iBwave is part of that commitment.

If you are thinking of investing in a smartphone then in many ways you are spoilt for choice. The problem is that there are numerous types of smartphone to choose from and it is easy to get confused by the plethora of models and features. There are, however, only two ‘celebrities’ in the smartphone marketplace, with both currently battling for supremacy – the sophisticated Blackberry and the iconic iPhone.

Yes there are some other great smartphones out there including the HTC powered by Google’s Android mobile OS. Palm is back in the game with the Pre, Samsung have launched the ‘Jet’ and there is also Microsoft’s ‘Windows phone’. But somehow all these great phones still fall within the shadow of the cool, sensuous Blackberry and the mighty iPhone.

So if you have set your eyes on the two hottest smartphones on the market how do you possibly choose between them? iPhone or Blackberry? An “impartial” observer would probably rate it a dead heat but few of us are truly impartial and we all have an allegiance to our favourite. If you are really stuck though here’s a few of my thoughts to help you make your mind up.

Firstly, as we’ve come to expect from Apple, the design and aesthetics of the iPhone are unrivalled and the user interface is slick, intuitive and responsive.  The on-screen touchpad keypad takes a little practice to get used to though, and some users will always prefer the more tactile feel of a real qwerty keyboard as found on most Blackberry models.

When it comes to apps the phone clearly wins hands down based on the range and sheer volume of apps available, usually at very reasonable prices.  OK, there are plenty of “dross” apps available but there are also some really useful gems to track down too. For web browsing, the safari browser supplied with the phone is difficult to beat and if you are fond of social networking (Face book, Twitter, etc) the phone appears to win hands down.

The Blackberry, in contrast, remains a firm favorite for corporate users because of improved integration with corporate networks, ease of management, exchange & MS Office integration and secure networking features.  For the installed base, corporations have made significant investment in integration of Blackberry with their corporate networks/IT systems and there will be a resistance to ditch this investment in the near term (regardless of the merits of iPhone or Blackberry) Both phones are fully capable of supporting email, although Blackberry’s qwerty keyboard is generally more easy to use than iPhone’s touch screen and in my opinion wins out for very heavy email users.

So in summary the main purpose of the iPhone is for personal use, web surfing and apps, rather than emails and calls, and the Blackberry is generally perceived to be a better business tool than the iphone.

But, at the end of the day, in terms or quality there’s not a lot to choose between them and the jury’s still out.

For me, I’m still hanging on to my Blackberry. Biased? Yes, probably!