Security, Sharing From Afar

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PALM DESERT, Calif. — Both the free-wheeling nature of the Internet and
security solutions were on display at DEMO, a two-day industry conference
here this week.

Alcatel-Lucent Ventures previewed “Project Evros” technology developed at
Bell Labs. The company’s Mobile Endpoint Management System is a wireless
platform that includes a 3G PCMCIA card equipped with its own battery and
processor running Linux. It’s due to ship later this year.

“Our card is the ignition key to the laptop,” said Dor Skuler, general
manager of Alcatel-Lucent Ventures.

Once installed and authenticated, the card is required to power on the
notebook. IT departments can gain access to the notebook remotely, even if
it’s turned off, to install updates, quarantine or un-quarantine it from
the network as required if a virus is identified, as well as perform other
maintenance and support tasks. The card automatically establishes a Virtual
Private Network (VPN) (define) link keeping IT connected.

If a notebook is reported stolen, IT can send a remote “kill” command
locking out access to the computer. IT can then issue a special password to
the rightful owner if and when the notebook is recovered.

“IT really doesn’t know where all its notebooks are, what state they are
in and if they’re lost or stolen,” said Skuler. “But Evros allows IT control
anytime, anywhere.”

Alcatel-Lucent Ventures also said its solution is an open platform for
developers who might want to provide additional cache management,
configuration management and other solutions. It’s due later this year.

Whisher.com debuted a service for mobile users who want to share more
with others. The Wi-Fi services aims to bring social-networking features to
mobile users. “Wi-Fi is really boring today; it’s all about access,” said
Ferran Moreno, CEO of Whisher.

Based in Spain, Whisher integrates social features to Wi-Fi networks
allowing local users sharing a hotspot to share files and chat online. Also,
a message board feature lets them communicate and leave notes behind.

“If you’re in a coffee shop you might connect and see a message ‘Don’t
try the latte, it sucks,’ joked Moreno. Vendors can leave messages with a
local twist, such as bands playing in the area. “Whisher can customize the
content based on where you are.”

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