Probelm: BUSINESS CASE Army Deploys Androids, Securely

The U.S. government's most IT-security sensitive organizations are the Army and National Security Agency (NSA). The Army and NSA decided to no longer reject mobile technologies or BYOD. Instead these Department of Defense (DoD) organizations looked for secure ways in which commercially available smartphones can be used to access IT systems. Performance and usability are also key concerns particularly because encryption caused latency (delays). Rather than build special handsets that are hardwired with secure components, the DoD choose to install its software on commercially available phones. This approach minimizes costs and allows the government to stay up to date with the latest phones on the market. Army Selects Customized Androids, Securely The Army does not permit any type of smartphone. The Army installs its own software on Android phones. Androids were selected because Google allows its code to be modified. The Androids are reengineered to store classified documents, but not to transmit data over a cell network.

This approach costs less than building special handsets and makes it easier for the Army to use the latest phones on the market. The Android needs to be customized to prevent apps from seeking more information than needed to function. For example, a weather or clock app with GPS capabilities identifies a user's location. The Army does not want to support apps that transmit locations over the network. NSA Due to the highly classified nature of its work, the NSA has some of the strictest requirements in government, including whole buildings that are labeled as Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facilities, which have additional requirements. To comply with strict security requirements, most NSA employees had to leave their mobiles in their cars in the parking lot rather than bringing them in to work. In 2012, the agency worked on a plan to introduce secure, commercially available mobile devices and an architecture that enables other agencies to use mobiles with classified data. Troy Lange, NSA's mobility mission manager explains: "This is about bringing efficiencies and capabilities that people are used to in their everyday lives and extending that to our national security mission."

Questions: 1. In your opinion, will the outcome of these Army and NSA projects have a big impact throughout government? On the private sector as well?

2. What are the top three concerns of the DoD?

3. Do you agree that the Army and NSA deciding to allow the use of mobile technologies and to figure out how best to limit risks is encouraging news to the private sector? Explain your answer.

4. Research and describe the latest developments in the Army or NSA's mobile strategy. Does the Army still restrict their mobile strategy to Androids?