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By Scott Plamondon
A stolen personal cell phone is one thing; a stolen FBI agent's cell phone is another. The first situation is inconvenient; the second a potential security disaster. As government organizations increasingly depend upon cell phones, wireless PDAs, and Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, data security has quickly become a critical concern.
In fact, the federal government considers data security so critical that since 2002 all technology products it purchases must meet the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 encryption specification. To meet those requirements, Sprint collaborates with innovative companies pursuing multi-tiered security approaches such as securing data both at rest on the device and in motion as it travels through the air. Read on for more on our innovative wireless security.
As people store more and more sensitive data on handheld devices like cell phones and PDAs, the security risk from a stolen device grows and grows, according to Sprint Senior Opportunity Development Manager Bob Thomson. To address that problem, Credant Technologies enables end-to-end data encryption for Sprint handhelds. That lets Sprint secure both "data in motion" traveling over the air and "data at rest" stored on the handheld, says Thomson.
Software from Credant Technologies also forms an important part of the Sprint Mobility Management SM (SM) platform. SM lets organizations easily manage their mobile devices, including security management, asset management, and billing management. Credant's remote-managed service capability centralizes security policy management. It also enables over the air provisioning (OTAP) and over the air re-keying (OTRK)—both crucial for wireless security.
Credant products have helped Sprint upgrade the security of our CDMA network to meet federal requirements.
"Just as Credant Technologies brings FIPS 140-2 certification to data, Meganet brings FIPS to voice," said Darlene Hines, Sprint strategic opportunity manager. Although still in development, Sprint is working with Meganet on ways to encrypt voice traffic.
Voice security matters to government, especially in sensitive or dangerous situations. What if, for example, an ATF agent, using a cell phone, directs a fellow agent to cover the back of a house "You don't want the bad guys to hear that," said Thomson. In fact, upcoming federal government requirements will require all voice calls meet minimum (sensitive but unclassified) security levels.
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