Alcatel-Lucent takes Nonstop Laptop Guardian to new platform

Alcatel-Lucent is to port its OmniAccess 3500 Nonstop Laptop Guardian onto Novatel's MiFi 2352

Alcatel-Lucent has signed a deal with Novatel Wireless to port its OmniAccess 3500 Nonstop Laptop Guardian (NLG) enterprise security and management platform onto Novatel's MiFi 2352 HSPA mobile hotspot.

The networking firm unveiled the NLG last year as a PCMCIA card with its own built-in 3G modem, GPS, CPU, rechargeable battery, Flash memory and mobile Linux operating system.

The device slots into a notebook and provides a range of features to help IT departments remotely secure, monitor, manage and locate mobile computers over 3G, and protect the data if the device is lost or stolen.

Dor Skuler, general manager for mobile security solutions at Alcatel-Lucent, explained that porting the application to another manufacturer's hardware highlights a new business model for the company, in which NLG is delivered as a software application through third-party products, rather than as a standalone product from Alcatel-Lucent.

"Although the OmniAccess 3500 NLG is a robust and profitable product for us, its strength is rooted in the application, rather than the hardware that surrounds it," he said.

"So by opening the NLG to a range of other platforms as an application, we not only provide a range of new channels for ourselves, but offer customers a wider range of options for implementing NLG, and partners get added value for their products."

Novatel's MiFi 2352 is a mobile wireless broadband device that enables high-speed internet connectivity that can be shared between multiple users and Wi-Fi devices. Much like the NLG hardware platform, it has its own processor, memory and operating system, making it capable of hosting third-party applications such as the NLG and possibly applications to pre-fetch content such as email or even media.

NLG allows IT managers to better manage, protect and administer remote laptops, including the ability to send out patches even if the laptop is off, and to 'remote kill' data if the device is lost, according to the firm.

Interoperable encryption solutions mean that the laptop's data is readable only through the use of an encryption key located on the MiFi device, which can be disabled or re-enabled over the air by the IT manager.

Skuler foresees the ability to offer NLG through channels such as mobile application stores, and the company is considering an adaptation to work with embedded 3G modems that are increasingly being integrated into some mobile devices.