LAS VEGAS – Apple is often considered the epitome of mobile consumer devices, but its presence in the enterprise space is stronger than ever thanks to its partnership with Cisco.
In the spirit of collaboration, Cisco has unveiled that it is developing a Security Connector application for iPhones and iPads in the enterprise at its annual Cisco Live event, held in Las Vegas this year from June 26 to 29.
Expected to be released in the fall of 2017, the Cisco Security Connector is designed to provide deep visibility, control, and privacy for iOS devices by offering organizations a granular view of what is happening on enterprise-owned mobile devices. Cisco says the app will protect iOS users from connecting to malicious online websites, whether on corporate, cellular, or public networks, and deliver safeguards that meet auditor risk and compliance requirements, such as encrypting Internet (DNS) requests.
“While iOS devices are incredibly secure, organizations still need an increased level of visibility and control across all enterprise devices,” explains David Ulevitch, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s security business. “Whether they’re investigating a security incident or trying to increase protection for users on the Internet, visibility and control are fundamental requirements… Now, we’re adding security to help our customers become the most connected, collaborative, and secure businesses in the world.”
In particular, the app will “ensure compliance of mobile users and their enterprise-owned iOS device during incident investigations by rapidly identifying what happened, whom it affected, and the risk exposure.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook applauds the partnership at Cisco Live, and explains that while the tech giant is not generally thought of as an enterprise-serving company, its premise of “making the best products to change and improve the world” means its customer base is virtually limitless.
“When we saw companies giving employees the ability to decide what devices they wanted to use, and that user experience was low, we knew there was a hole in the enterprise that Apple and Apple products could fill,” Cook tells the audience. “Our legendary ease of use and simplicity could change the way enterprises and their people work, and we’re super excited to be in the space with a great partner like Cisco.”
The Cisco Security Connector app beta program will begin “shortly,” according to both companies.
Cyber insurance for Apple and Cisco enterprise customers
Cisco is also collaborating with “insurance industry heavyweights” to develop more robust cyber insurance policies for customers that use both Cisco and Apple.
“Cisco and Apple together are the most secure duo in the enterprise space,” Cook boasts to the Cisco Live crowd. “We know there’s a lot of people buying cyber security insurance as cyber threats continue to increase exponentially, but it’s hard to price these policies because insurance firms need to assess the vulnerabilities and risk involved in each individual case. Our thinking is that if your enterprise uses Apple and Cisco, the combination of these should make that insurance cost significantly less for that company than if they were using some other personal network or operating system.”
Chuck Robbins, Cisco CEO, adds that customers should be able to “reap the benefits of the Cisco and Apple partnership” because their products and services are safer from cyber threats.