Ceryx: High-Availability, Hosted Exchange

There are a number of hosted Exchange companies making big, lofty announcements about their pending support for the coming release of the 2nd generation iPhone, expected this month.

At Ceryx we will focus on announcing our own innovations and going forward we will be using this blog to chronicle some of features and functionality we’ve build on top of Microsoft Exchange.

However, support for the iPhone is an announcement that should come from Apple. What the latest version will support is ActiveSync – a technology that has been native to Exchange for some time. What’s new is that the iPhone will go beyond providing just POP3 and IMAP support and provide true ‘push’ technology using ActiveSync, with better security for corporations.

And like every other hosted Exchange company, we won’t need to change or develop anything to support this innovation from Apple.

Mark

Earlier I posted an article relating to the difficult relationship between enterprise and the iPhone. Now as a follow up it is necessary to look into the security related issues regarding Apple’s venture into mobility.

Lately there have been a number of articles and sites dedicated to hacking the underlying operating system of the iPhone. Initial attempts were purely for benign reasons of curiosity and (not so benign) unlocking. Both of these feats have now been accomplished and have provided some unexpected results. It seems that Apple, in their rush to get the iPhone to market, neglected to lock down security at the OS level. Worse still, the operating system on the iPhone is not some proprietary device based system, but actually a more-or-less fully functional version of Apple’s OS X!

On the surface this seems fantastic! OS X embedded on a $300 device is an incredible deal! Problems arise however when it becomes apparent just how easy it is to hack these devices. The most evident exploit available presently is related to the fact that all applications on the iPhone are run as Root processes. Essentially this allows any application full access to the entire device immediately upon being exploited.

There are any number of articles around now related to the iPhone becoming a mobile hacking platform however this is not the real issue (any hacker worth his salt probably has at least one laptop anyway). The real problem for the consumer is the privacy of their information stored on the device. For instance, malicious code injected into a website accessed by the Safari browser could gain access to the core functionality of any iPhone. An experienced hacker could then gain access to confidential information such as phone logs and contacts.

From the point of view of a personal user this is bad enough. Thinking of it from an enterprise perspective, the lack of security becomes potentially disastrous! Imagine the CEO of a Fortune 500 company having his call logs, contacts and even private photographs on display for the entire world to see! With this exploit it may even be possible for a hacker to gain control of the camera, snapping photos at inopportune times with the CEO’s own device!

I have the honor of calling myself an Apple fan, user and even expert. I am constantly amazed by the wonders of industrial design created within their walls. That said, for the second article in a row, I have to conclude that although I love the idea of the iPhone, it does not belong in business; at least not until Apple decides to leverage the legendary UNIX security that the device already contains!

Mark

I am a BlackBerry addict. There I said it…. My friends, family and colleagues should be proud. I carry it with me everywhere, and check it hundreds of times a day. I use it all the time, and even when I am NOT looking at it, the mere sight of someone checking their wireless device makes my hand reach for the holster. While some people might say that their BlackBerry, Windows Mobile device or iPhone is an extension to their Outlook/Exchange experience… I use my wireless device so frequently that I am starting to think that Outlook is in fact the extension. We live in a mobile world and wireless messaging is a terrific fix for any workaholic.

In my business life, I run a Hosted Exchange company that services the upper SMB and Mid-Markets. Our customers come from every industry and segment. The one common characteristic across our entire customer base is that email is their most mission critical application, it is very important to their business. Many of them would be crippled by a problem with their BlackBerry. As a bona fide BlackBerry junkie, I thought I should share with you a few “little known secrets” which can help you in a pinch.

Extending BlackBerry Battery Life:
I charge my device daily, not because it needs it but because I never know how much power I will need tomorrow. I like to start the day with a fully charged battery. I also tend to replace my battery every 12-18 months; this is more of a proactive decision to keep the device operating like new. If your battery is prematurely draining, I have a tip for you that might refresh your device. It worked for me. About a month ago my battery started to die by mid afternoon after beginning the day fully charged. Nothing in my daily routine had changed but the battery wasn’t lasting any more. I tried the usual methods including reboot, take out the battery, let it run down and then fully charge it, all to no avail. I bought a new battery. Surprisingly, the new battery lasted a little bit longer but still did not compare to what I used to get before the problem started. Late one night, I called our 24x7x365 Helpdesk. I was both surprised and skeptical at what they suggested. I was even more surprised to find out that it worked. They suggested that I do the following:
1) Cycle your Content Protection (Security/General Settings – set it to enabled and then disabled), next cycle the device (either with Alt + Left Shift + Del or pull the battery).
2) The next step requires your BES Administrator – have your administrator send you a new policy (if you don’t have a policy have them send you a blank one). This solved my BlackBerry battery problem and I hope it helps you as well.

Fixing an Erratic Track Wheel
If your track wheel is jumpy and erratic AND you REALLY WANT a new BlackBerry, Windows Device or iPhone …. stop reading now… I am about to take away your logical justification. What I am about to tell you will fix one of the most common, annoying and debilitating problems with the BlackBerry devices. If you have ever experienced it you will know what I mean. Whenever you move the track wheel the cursor jumps around randomly and it is impossible to work. The fix that I used is simple and easy. Head to your favorite electronics store and buy some Control Cleaner (Potentiometer cleaner, contact cleaner, TV tuner cleaner, etc.), it comes in a spray bottle and is around $10 at Radio Shack. Remove your battery and spray some into the track wheel, work the solution in by rotating your track wheel and pushing the button. Wait for the solution to dry before replacing your battery. When I did this, it worked the first time and my jumpy track wheel was fixed. You might have to do it a couple of times if it doesn’t work. I have done this on a couple of units and have been successful both times, but I cannot take responsibility if it doesn’t work for you or if something goes wrong. The way I see it, the device is garbage as soon as the track wheel starts to jump, so what have you got to lose?

I hope that you find these tips useful.