Policy Expression and Enforcement for Handheld Devices

The use of mobile handheld devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and tablet computers, within the workplace is expanding rapidly. These devices are no longer viewed as coveted gadgets for early technology adopters, but instead have become indispensable tools that offer competitive business advantages for the mobile workforce. While providing productivity benefits, the ability of these devices to store and transmit corporate information through both wired and wireless networks poses potential risks to an organization’s security. This paper describes a framework for managing user privileges on handheld devices. The approach is aimed at assisting enterprise security officers in administering and enforcing group and individual security policies for PDAs, and helping constrain users to comply automatically with their organization’s security policy. Details of a proof-of-concept implementation of the framework are also provided.