Mobility. It’s not a new trend, but it’s a growing one. Indeed, the workforce is becoming increasingly mobile and that mobility is driving security concerns that software giants like Oracle are trying to solve.

Oracle sees a critical need for solutions that help enterprises control access to business data and also protect that data on mobile devices. Advanced security controls for personal and corporate devices, are needed, without complicating the user experience.

To meet these needs, the enterprise-software maker is launching the Oracle Mobile Security Suite, which lets users securely access enterprise data from their own devices, while at the same time protecting that information by isolating corporate and personal data.

Oracle Says Its Solution Is Different

"By extending security and access capabilities to mobile devices, organizations can protect corporate resources on employee devices without compromising the user experience," explained Amit Jasuja, Oracle's senior VP of Java and Identity Management.

Jasuja said Oracle's security solution brings the firm's Identity Management platform to mobile devices, so organizations can address the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) challenge logically.

Along with Oracle’s existing Identity and Access solutions, the new suite offers an integrated platform that organizations can use to manage access to all applications from all devices -- including laptops, desktops, and mobile devices.

Oracle insists its approach is different from the approaches taken by other mobile device management (MDM) solutions because those others focus on the devices themselves. That strategy can create separate security silos requiring companies to spend more money on expensive products to integrate with their identity solutions.

Instead, Oracle said its Mobile Security Suite focuses on the apps and the users, allowing IT to more efficiently and securely administer and manage access.

An End-to-End Solution

The company said its Mobile Security Suite provides a secure workspace so organizations can separate corporate and personal apps. That means enterprises can protect their apps and data as well as enforce their security policies without interfering with users' personal information.

The workspace also offers security controls, enabling companies to enforce single sign-on, per-app network tunneling, and encryption for stored data, and integration with Microsoft Active Directory for shared-drive access.

As for mobility security controls, the software are able to limit access or restrict functionality based on location. The solution also lets companies control their application policies, including limiting copy/paste/print to prevent data loss. 

Additionally, if employees are terminated or otherwise leave their jobs, organizations can remotely wipe corporate data and apps from their mobile devices.

The Oracle Mobile Security Suite also includes an e-mail client, secure browser, file manager, white pages app, document editor, and a mobile app catalog that can serve as an app store.