If you want to boycott Israel, you'd better give up your mobile device
If you have a mobile device, it's likely protected from viruses by a company called Red Bend Software. Red Bend protects 1.75 billion mobile devices around the world. And, you guessed it, they're an Israeli company.
Let's go to the videotape.
So it’s up to manufacturers, cellphone service
providers and app writers to help customers remain secure. One way to
do this is through preemptive operating system and software updates. The
company dozens of major service providers and manufacturers turn to for
that service is an Israeli one called Red Bend.
Established in 1999, Red Bend has become the
go to provider of FOTA (Firmware Over the Air) updates for phones and
devices made by manufacturers like Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola,
Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE. Currently, Red Bend’s technology is used
by more than 80 mobile device manufacturers, mobile operators and
semiconductor vendors, and is present on more than 1.75 billion devices.
Using Red Bend’s technology, said company
product marketing director Roger Ordman, service providers and
manufacturers can keep their customers’ devices up to date with the
latest firmware. “As devices have become more sophisticated we have
expanded our offerings,” he told The Times of Israel in a recent
interview. “Now we also do application management, and mobile
virtualization. It’s more than just configuring software — it’s managing
the operating system on a device.”
That has become much more important in the era
of BYOD — Bring Your Own Device — in which employees use their own
devices to check company email and access documents on company servers.
This mixing of personal and business use on the same device could lead
to compromised security, said Ordman. “Devices are integrated in the
lives of people, both for work and personal use. People use the same
device for work, and to access Twitter and Facebook. People want to be
online anytime and anywhere.
“The problem arises when they use insecure
networks to access services,” Ordman said. “Hackers could use those
connections to get valuable information off the device, including
corporate data. It’s a big concern for corporations, and our BYOD
protection technology is able to solve this.”
The Wall Street Journal tells the fascinating story of how Egypt's mobile phone carriers were forced this past week to shut down and then to send out pro-government SMS's.
Vodafone entered Egypt in the late 1990s and India in 2007, pleasing many investors by seeking growth opportunities outside the European market.Now, the political risks in both countries have turned ugly: Vodafone has taken billions in write-downs on its India investment, in part due to regulatory issues and a costly tax dispute with the government. In Egypt, the company is scrambling to protect its infrastructure and employees—while delivering the Egyptian army's messages.
"When armed police arrive at your offices there is not much one can do," France Télécom Chief Executive Stephane Richard said on the sidelines of a press conference Thursday, when asked about last week's decision to sever access to all of its services. Mr. Richard said a clause in the company's Egyptian mobile-phone license allows the government to shut down mobile services in the country.
Earlier this week, Vodafone said in a statement that there were "no legal or practical options" open but to comply with the demand to shut off its mobile services.
Both carriers registered their dissatisfaction with the pro-government texts on Thursday. "France Télécom strongly disapproves of any message of a political nature that runs against the neutrality principle which defines our role as a network operator," the company said in a statement. Vodafone said it had "protested to the authorities that the current situation regarding these messages is unacceptable."
...
Research In Motion Ltd. has been under pressure from several governments, especially in the Middle East and Asia, to provide access to the secure networks used by its popular Blackberry device. Last year's decision by Google Inc. to leave China because of search-engine censorship marked a rare case of a multinational company forsaking a business opportunity because of political factors.
Telecom companies face particularly acute risks when dealing with governments in countries where they rely on state-owned infrastructure or state-awarded spectrum contracts for their business.In Egypt, operators often depend on Telecom Egypt's fixed-line infrastructure to carry their mobile services. They also usually employ hundreds of people.
"What is happening in Egypt just goes to show the leverage that governments have over telecom providers," said Cynthia Wong, the director of the Global Internet Freedom project at the Center of Democracy and Technology in Washington. "They can get these companies to do what they want because of the number of employees in the country and the amount of infrastructure in place."
Paradoxically, Google was able to shut down in China because it dominates the World market. Were Vodaphone and France 2 to leave Egypt, there are too many other countries who would be willing to take their place. That and the need for infrastructure allows local governments to dictate their own terms in these matters.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
