Box becomes first third-party app on Good's platform

Good's customers can use a secure mobile version of Box's content-sharing service on iOS devices

Good Technology is opening its developer program to anyone and announcing that Box is the first available third-party application based on Good's platform.

Good announced its Good Dynamics program late last year, inviting select ISVs (independent software vendors) and developer companies to make their applications compatible with Good's platform. The platform includes server software at an enterprise, Good's network operations center and the application on the handset. Previously, the only apps available to users of Good's platform were built by Good.

Good's platform secures data at rest, encrypts data in transport to and from the device, and offers remote management tools to IT administrators. For example, an IT administrator can remotely kill the Box app if the user's phone has been compromised.

Wednesday's announcement means that Good customers can use a secure version of Box that is available now for iOS devices. Box is a content-sharing service aimed at business users.

Implementing the Good Dynamics SDK (software development kit) in existing apps is a relatively simple process, said Herve Danzelaud, vice president of business development for Good. Most developers can complete the process "in a matter of days," he said.

Good charges the enterprise customer for use of Good Dynamics apps annually, on a per-app, per-device basis. The company declined to offer a range of what the charges might be, saying they will vary based on the size of the customer.

Developers don't pay to access the Good Dynamics SDK, but they do face some costs. All apps must be submitted to Veracode, a company Good contracted with to test the apps for vulnerabilities. Veracode will recommend changes to fix any problems it finds. Developers must pay for this testing.

Apps like the one from Box will be available in the Apple App Store, even though they can only be used by businesses that are Good customers. An IT manager must authorize a phone user to use the app. Typically, the manager will email users, instructing them to download the app and enter a unique code that will allow them to start using it, Danzelaud said.

Good plans to announce additional third-party apps in the coming weeks, said Danzelaud. "We've seen a ton of interest from software companies," he said. They are being asked by potential business customers to secure their apps, he said. But "their core competencies are not encryption and security," he said. Using Good Dynamics allows them to offer secure apps, he said.

Good is among many companies using a variety of approaches to secure mobile apps on consumer devices, including iPhones and Android phones. 3LM, a company now owned by Motorola, has software for securing all apps on Android phones. 3LM's software must be built into the phones by the OEM. Another approach to securing mobile phones is to use virtualization. VMware, Open Kernel Labs and Red Bend Software are among companies working on mobile virtualization offerings.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy's e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com

Tags: Box, Good Technology, mobile, mobile security, security

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Software security company www.clearswift.com gives some advice this holiday season to make sure employees don’t end up on Santa’s naughty list!


At a fundamental business level, social media is a useful additional tool for communicating and collaborating with customers, colleagues and new business prospects. From an HR point of view, the social web is not only useful for recruitment but also as a knowledge network. At an employee level, social media is changing the way we work: Employees increasingly expect to be able to access personal technology and services in the workplace. As the lines between work and home life blur, staff are looking for greater flexibility in their roles; working from home is an increasing trend, but so too is ‘home-ing from work’, where staff expect to be able to perform personal tasks at work.

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This cultural shift raises new questions about trust in the workplace, the balance of power in employer / employee relationship and levels of control over people and content.


Organisations using content and web security technology can manage the way their staff use email and the internet without having to resort to a default position of mistrust. With a whopping third of ANZ employers completely blocking social media access at work, there’s a real danger of throwing the benefits of collaboration out with the risks.


It doesn’t have to be that way.

Trust breeds responsibility: People underestimate the amount of company time they spend on personal browsing. Allow staff to view their own web usage and foster more responsible behaviour without undermining trust.


Know limits: Set clear limits on personal surfing and communicate them to users. Alert them when they are approaching their limit. Help your people to play by the rules.


Share the load: Spread responsibility for usage reporting among managers and department heads so everyone gets to see how their usage impacts on the rest of the organisation. This also gives managers greater control and visibility into usage.


Need to know: Yes, you need reports and visibility. What you don’t need is employee data becoming common knowledge. Access control means reporting can be adjusted on a need-to-know basis.


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