Citrix Systems and Juniper Networks are among the technology vendors that could benefit from a U.S. government search for ways to secure Apple’s smartphones and tablet computers for the use of federal employees.
Apple’s devices, along with those using Google’s Android software, are drawing interest from U.S. agencies responding to a workforce that increasingly wants an alternative to the Research in Motion BlackBerrys that have long dominated the federal market.
Hot consumer gadgets
A shift away from RIM could require companies such as Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Citrix and Juniper to furnish software and security to support wireless devices purchased from other manufacturers.
“It’s got to be a monster opportunity for infrastructure and security vendors,’’ said Daniel Ives, a senior vice president and analyst at FBR Capital Markets in New York.
Systems integrators that work with those vendors, such as Computer Sciences Corp., SAIC and Unisys, may also gain, said Tad Anderson, executive vice president of LRW Technologies, a Baltimore-based mobile-security provider.
Several federal agencies are exploring the use of Android-powered phones, and iPhones and iPads made by Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple. The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a query last month for a vendor that could control access and secure data for as many as 100,000 mobile-device users.
Seeking mobile security
An increased reliance on mobile devices may expose government and corporate networks to attacks by hackers, according to a report on economic espionage released Nov. 3 by the U.S. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive.
Security has been a major selling point of RIM’s products, which operate on encrypted servers, unlike devices produced by Apple or other manufacturers.
“The RIM side has a lot of the security controls already built in,’’ which allows agencies to control the device and access to data, Nick Percoco, senior vice president of Trustwave, an Annapolis-based provider of information security, said in an interview.
Android and Apple products would require custom applications to make them secure enough to handle sensitive government data, Percoco said. Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment.
RIM has been the government’s main smartphone provider since 2001, with at least $395 million in sales over the last decade, including $84 million so far in 2011, based on contracting data compiled by Bloomberg Government. The figures may understate RIM’s actual government revenue, because some sales may not be reflected in contracts with third parties.
President Obama signed a law late last year that directed agencies to develop policies on purchasing mobile devices to encourage telecommuting.
Citrix is the most likely to benefit from any increased government use of mobile devices from other manufacturers, said Steve Ashley, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. Citrix makes software that lets employees view applications on office networks through their mobile devices without transmitting sensitive data.
The Post Most: BusinessMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
World Markets from
Other Market Data from
Key Rates from
Loading...
Comments