Call that laptop or PDA what you want -- the client, the supplicant, the endpoint -- the fact is, it could be a big threat to a corporate network. It's especially true for mobile hardware that goes off campus and is used in the field, even at home, and comes back. That could cause potential problems.

That's why network security providers have been spending more and more time over the last year pushing endpoint security solutions that enforce network policies on laptops at home or abroad, no matter how they try to connect to the network. Three companies with updates to their endpoint security services made announcements MOnday, but no two handle things exactly the same.

Take, for instance, Credant Technologies. The Dallas-based company bills itself as a provider of mobile data protection on all types of devices, from cell phones to laptops. This week it announced a new version of its centralized management platform, Mobile Guardian, upgrading it to version 5.1.

''Users can't impose security on themselves,'' says Richard Stone, Credant's vice president of marketing. He says writs shouldn't be slapped, that security is more of a social issue, and that it needs to cover the full gamut of products employees use -- from notebooks to phones to MP3 players. They call it Collaborative Mobile Data Security and use it to encrypt data moved to removable devices, such at thumb drives and iPods; do on-the-fly encryption of data sent via e-mail or IM; support two-factor authentication, and 'over the air' deployment. The software can force the encryption of all data made with business applications just in case it gets exposed.

Credant's solution requires use of the Mobile Guardian Shield software on most endpoints. The company says the latest version works with third party devices, even RIM Blackberry.

Credant's latest Mobile Guardian is ready now and costs $42 per user. Collaborative Mobile Data Security will be out in the second quarter of this year.

Senforce Technologies has updated its endpoint security enforcement with the launch of Senforce intelligent Network Access Control (iNAC), which the Draper, Utah-based company says adds extra protections not found in the current Senforce Endpoint Security Suite (ESS) by tackling products beyond the laptop.

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