Zenprise Software Finds Lost Blackberrys

Device management company Zenprise has launched software that will track lost Blackberrys on GPS, and monitor their performance and activity in real time.

Device Manager, a new module for Zenprise MobileManager lets desk staff and admins find lost or stolen devices, and manage them in detail, including monitoring for third party software or viruses. Zenprise recently picked up and explained a significant Blackberry outage in Europe.

“If an employee reports a Blackberry missing, we can tell if it is just left somewhere on site, or if it has gone elsewhere – and whether it is being used” said Ahmed Datoo,vice president of marketing at Zenprise.

Smartphones increasingly carry business data, and analyst firm Gartner predicts that in 2012, ten million of them will be lost or stolen. Auditing applications is becoming important to comply with regulations and protect corporate networks.

As well as the more visible and obvious features, such as location and monitoring which apps are running, the software includes plenty of detailed angles, according to an online demonstration shown to eWEEK.

This included monitoring the temperature of the device, and the percentage of battery, charge remaining. “It can detect if programs like Pac Man are running,” said Datoo, vice president of marketing at Zenprise. “More importantly, it can monitor device functions. If a rogue program turns the microphone on as the CEO goes into a meeting, it could turn his Blackberry into a bugging device. We can detect if that is happening.”

The Zenprise product uses an agent, installed over the air, which transmits information over an encrypted link. The software is available for Zenprise users in the US, as an upgrade costing $20 per user, UK pricing expected to be in line. “Right now, it’s just for the Blackberry, but we plan to extend it to other platforms,” said Datoo..
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