Cisco Makes an Enterprise MDM Play.

"Cisco has launched a heterogeneous mobile device management capability for enterprise IT departments, becoming only the second major vendor, after HP, to target corporate users rather than carriers with such technology. While Cisco's first target will be companies running its data to and from phones over its WLAN infrastructure, the technology is equally applicable to mobile/cellular networks...

Unlike HP, which offers its MDM server as a dedicated device, Cisco plans to offer Secure Client Manager, when it starts to ship in the first half of 2009, as software to sit on the 3300 Series Mobility Services Engine (MSE), an appliance for installation in the corporate network, which starts shipping next month. Other modules planned in what the company is calling the Cisco Motion architecture are:

- Context-Aware Software for location-specific information applications, including things like temperature, time, pressure and movement, which will start to ship at the same time as the MSE;

- Adaptive Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (wIPS) for defense against rogue APs and endpoints, as well as malicious activity and malware on the network, and

- Mobile Intelligent Roaming for the seamless handoff of dual-mode mobile devices between WiFi and cellular networks. These last two are scheduled to ship only in the second half of 2009.

The MSE appliance has prices starting at $19,995, which go up according to the number of devices supported, and the software packages, when they come out, will have similar pricing models. It has not announced pricing for the software modules, but does say that the entry-level price of the MSE will provide support for up to 18,000 clients or locationing tags used with the Context-Aware package."

Cisco announces open platform for mobile enterprise.

"The Cisco 3300 Series Mobility Services Engine, which will ship in June, is designed to give its enterprise IT customers one platform that will tie disparate wireless networks, mobile devices and applications into a single platform so that these businesses can manage their employees' mobile devices and applications across both wireless and wired networks, whether that's a large cellular network or a WiFi network."

related: Cisco Unveils Open Wireless Product to Boost Mobile Presence
"Cisco has for years sold network gear and desk phones, but lacks a presence in cellphones. The platform will allow corporate IT department to manage the security and services for employee cellphones. One such feature is the corporate management of phones switching between the office Wi-Fi network and the cellular network on the outside.

'Cellphones is what the rest of the world is basing its future on, not the office desk phone,' Dulaney said."