PocketCop & BlackBerry – Quick Information in the Hands of Law Enforcement on the Street

BIO-key has announced the release of version 3.5 of PocketCop, which gives law enforcement officers access to state and federal databases, including motor vehicle information. Police officers can quickly and easily check to see if a given person is wanted or if a car was reported stolen.

According to their website, “PocketCop is BIO-key’s industry-leading solution for secure access to federal and state law enforcement and motor vehicles databases from handheld devices.”

“With PocketCop, officers on foot, motorcycle, bike, marine and mounted patrol, as well as investigators and command-level staff, can quickly and easily identify a wanted person or stolen vehicle directly from a BlackBerry smartphone.”

PocketCop also takes advantage of the BlackBerry wireless platform’s built-in web browser to reduce IT administration costs. With real-time deployment, the PocketCop end-user can download and activate the PocketCop thin client application software from any location to make the PocketCop-enabled BlackBerry smartphone fully operational and ready for use in the field.

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iPhone and Exchange Integration

JASE Podcast #9 (0:52 minutes):

This is the first positive step we’ve seen taken by Apple towards making the iPhone a possibility in the secure world of the business enterprise. The rumors have been flying for a while that Apple had licensed Microsoft’s ActiveSync so the iPhone could function on Microsoft Exchange.

The introduction of the iPhone SDK this week verified those rumors. We can’t get too slap happy yet though. Apple has only licensed the protocol. The functionality is not there and won’t be for a couple of versions later in the iPhone. That means at least mid – 2009. But this is a good first step for iPhone enthusiasts.

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A Connected World and how important is it?

JASE Podcast #7 (3:50 minutes):

Keith Parnell put up a post on his blog this week talking about varying, vital departments of organizations being connected via smartphones. Interesting. We’ll reprint it here.

CIO.com recently stood up an interesting survey – BlackBerry Users Vote: How Tethered Are You?

I think a more important question for company decision-makers would be, How Tethered Should My Team Be?

My world is very interesting and overall I think unique. Not unique for the tech industry but unique as compared to the work force as a whole. I require myself to be electronically connected at almost all hours of every night and day. Much to Nicole’s chagrin, yes, ‘every’ night and day. My tech team is nearly the same and during their disconnected times there should be another connected person capable of filling the needs of the organization.

Let’s move to other member (sets) of the organization’s team. Should the Operations team be consistently connected? Should the Creative team be consistently connected? Should the Sales team be consistently connected? Should the Marketing team be consistently connected? (I’ll stop there but there are other teams just a critical such as HR, Finance / Accounting, etc.) Within each of these teams an evaluation of senior management, team leads and team members should also be weighed. Should they, or at least their role, be consistently connected?

Here’s my answer – YES! Yes, they absolutely sure should. Each of these teams occupies a vital role in the decision-making processes that are important to the organization’s success. A senior member of each of these teams should be always available, reachable and able to communicate at any given time as dictated by the real-time needs of the organization.

So how do we make this connected state happen? Smartphones. Smartphones that are reliable, (platform) stable, secure, usable, functional and yes, okay attractive. Smartphones that put email, SMS, MMS, Internet access, IM and phone calls at your fingertips. RIM’s BlackBerry tops the list of recommendations from leaders of most top organization around the globe including myself. Nokia (the N95) makes fine smartphone products as does Palm (the Treo series) and HP (the iPAQ series).

CIO.com’s Survey Results for “How Addicted to Your SmartPhone Are You?
5% – My phone is for business. I put it away at night, unless I’m traveling for work.
2% – I check messages every few hours after work and on weekends. But I’d never bring my smartphone on vacation.
19% – I’m more productive because of my smartphone, and it doesn’t negatively affect my work/life balance. I wouldn’t call it an addiction.
67% – My smartphone never leaves my side. At work, rest, play, vacation, you name itmy best electronic friend is with me.
7% – IMHO That’s NOYB. BB4N. EOM. (In my humble opinion, that’s none of your business. Bye bye for now. End of message.)

Where do you stand? Do you make yourself available to be a vital piece of your organization?

See Keith’s full post here on his blog.

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JASEzone Mobile Enters Beta

The JASE engineers have launched the new JASEzone Mobile, http://m.jasezone.com, into beta testing status. Test us with your mobile device* and let us know what you think.

* BlackBerry, iPhone, HTC smartphone, Treo, Palm, Windows CE or any other handheld device

What is the JASEzone? Look here.

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5 Tips for Secure Surfing through Wireless Hotspots

Wireless hotspots are changing the way people work. These wireless local area networks (LANs) provide high speed Internet access in public locations, at home and in the office. They require nothing more than a mobile device with an internal or external wireless card. From Starbucks to airports to hotel lobbies, hotspots are ubiquitous. They are the de facto connection method for travelers and remote workers to access the Internet, their e-mail, and even their corporate networks.

Hotspots are all open networks that are vulnerable to security breaches. And that means it’s up to you to protect the data on your device. Here are a few tips to make working in public locations more secure.

1. Try to choose more secure connections. It’s not always possible to choose your connection type but when you can, opt for wireless networks that require a network security key or have some other form of security, such as a certificate.
2. Make sure the firewall on your device is activated. A firewall helps protect your device by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network.
3. Monitor your access points. Chances are, there are multiple wireless networks anywhere you’re trying to connect. These connections are all access points, because they link into the wired system that gives you Internet access.
4. Disable file and printer sharing. File and printer sharing is a feature that enables other computers on a network to access resources on your computer.
5. Make your folders private. When the folders on your device are private, it’s more difficult for hackers to access your files.

A few simple precautions can help make working in public places more secure. And by selecting the best connections and adjusting settings, you can enjoy productive and safe work sessions no matter where you are. Here are two bonus tips.

1. Encrypt your files. You can protect your files further by encrypting them, which requires a password to open or modify them.
2. Consider completely removing sensitive data from your device. If you’re working with extremely sensitive data, it might be worth taking it off your device altogether. Instead, keep it behind the corporate firewall and use your company’s VPN to access it when necessary.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Security of your device and its data is very important. Treat it seriously and with respect.

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