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Diversity, Costs Make Handhelds Hard To Secure Against Viruses

Today's new handheld features, and the new ways the devices can connect to corporate computers and networks, are opening new vulnerability points.
Why Policy Is Necessary
Given this cost issue, securing handhelds becomes a policy issue. Corporations must decide which users and which devices truly need access to corporate resources.

Besides restricting who can access a network with a handheld device, security managers are also looking for help from other sources -- specifically, from the device manufacturers themselves.

For example, industry analysts note that one trend to look for over the next few years is for handheld manufacturers to incorporate anti-virus software into their products. This would be similar to the way PCs sold today often times have a third party anti-virus program bundled into the system.

The user can do scans instantly and if they like the software, they can go to the third-party vendor’s site and sign up for the latest updated. A similar approach with handhelds would be very useful in helping corporations safeguard their networks, systems, and data.

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