Software allows users to protect personal, university data stored on mobile devices

Bill Clebsch, the university's associate vice president for Information Technology Services, knows – from personal experience – how easy it is to lose a mobile device.

"Once, I left my iPad in a restaurant in the Charles Hotel in Boston, but didn't realize it until I got up to my room," he said. "I had a moment of panic."

But the sense of alarm quickly disappeared when Clebsch realized that no one would be able to steal data stored on the iPad because he had installed the university's new Mobile Device Management (MDM) software. The software is available for free to faculty, staff and students with active SUNet IDs.

If his iPad had been stolen, Clebsch would have been able to remotely lock the device, reset his password, erase Stanford data or erase all the data by accessing a self-service MDM webpage.

"That's the kind of peace of mind MDM software brings, whether the data is your own personal data, like a credit card number, or Stanford data," he said.

As it happened, Clebsch was quickly reunited with his iPad, because he had put a sticker on the back with his name on it, and the restaurant gave him a call.

In addition to protecting iPads, MDM software provides privacy and security for iPhones and IPod Touches. BlackBerry users now get support through the ITS Exchange mailbox/Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) environment. Android support will come in the future.

Leaving such devices unprotected could not only be costly for individuals personally, but it puts the university at risk if those devices contain institutional information that is classified as prohibited, restricted or confidential.

Members of the Stanford community who work with such data can choose an MDM profile that has been customized for higher security. Others can choose a basic MDM profile.

Clebsch said the first group to install MDM software on campus was medical students, who are being weaned away from pencil and paper to digital learning under the Stanford School of Medicine's iPad Initiative.

The MDM software consists of three parts: a configuration profile that is installed on the device; a website that allows members of the Stanford community to enroll or take remote action on their device; and a service that the device uses to check in with Stanford's MDM Service to receive new configurations or applications.

"About 95 percent of the mobile devices registered on the Stanford University Network run Apple iOS, its mobile operating system," Clebsch said.

He said Apple Inc. provided software the company had developed for internal use. Stanford, which obtained the software under a non-disclosure agreement, customized the program for the university community.

So far, campus users have installed the software on 2,153 iPhones and iPads.

The MDM website contains detailed instructions for installing a profile; information on managing mobile devices; instructions for backing up, restoring and recovering a device; privacy information; troubleshooting information; security information; and tips for using the software.

Provided by Stanford University