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Location-and Device-agnostic Security for the Mobile Workforce

Jim Black

Written by

Jim Black

July 14, 2021

Jim Black

Written by

Jim Black

Jim Black is a Senior Product Marketing Manager in Akamai's Enterprise Security Group. He has spent his entire career in technology, with roles in manufacturing, customer support, business development, product management, public relations, and marketing. 

'How do you ensure consistent security irrespective of the device or where an employee uses it?'

I've spent my entire career in technology and can still recall the time when a desktop PC was the only way to work. (Truth be told, I'm also old enough to remember dumb terminals.) I also remember my first company laptop -- a beast of a thing with a monochrome display so thick it came with an integrated 2.5" floppy drive and a battery life that made it barely usable. My first mobile phone was a Motorola Timeport, the first tri-band mobile phone that could work in Europe and North America. 

This all sounds quaint in 2021, when mobility first is pretty much the default way of working. It's been driven by incredible developments in multiple form factors, huge increases in battery life, and the ubiquity of high-speed connectivity. The last 16 months or so have simply been the final tipping point, and looking forward to the future of work, mobility is going to be front and center.

However, for security teams, mobility comes with a challenge: How do you ensure consistent security irrespective of the device or where an employee uses it -- at home, in the workplace, or at the local coffee shop? Add to that mix the complexity of employee-owned devices, and security becomes even more daunting. 

That's why we're enhancing Akamai's secure web gateway (Secure Internet Access Enterprise) to allow companies to have a simple but effective way to apply a consistent security policy -- no matter the device or how employees connect to corporate resources. 

The ability to secure laptops by installing a lightweight client has been available for a number of years, and it has allowed numerous customers to extend protection to both Windows and Apple machines. For example, Japan-based WealthNavi used Secure Internet Access Enterprise for peace of mind that its users were protected from malware and phishing attacks regardless of location.

Clients for iOS, Android, and Chromebook devices are available now and make it simple and straightforward to protect these devices. In addition to Wi-Fi support and cellular connectivity, employees can self-install these clients on non-managed devices.

Akamai's Secure Internet Access Enterprise mobile clients are powered by Mobolize's Data Management Engine with SmartVPN®, a proven technology that powers millions of devices with enhanced mobile security and connectivity while minimizing power consumption and memory footprint. 

Find out how to protect all your devices, no matter how they connect with Akamai's secure web gateway.



Jim Black

Written by

Jim Black

July 14, 2021

Jim Black

Written by

Jim Black

Jim Black is a Senior Product Marketing Manager in Akamai's Enterprise Security Group. He has spent his entire career in technology, with roles in manufacturing, customer support, business development, product management, public relations, and marketing.