The super mobile worker: 4 necessities to make it reality

[#1]

The other day I received a message requesting me to comment on a “vision” of the super mobile worker. The enquiry started with this statement: “I wish to join a growing community of mobile people, who live and work completely off their mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones, which enables them to drift endlessly through countries with no fixed abode, although they remain registered in their home country for income tax, banking, citizenship and perhaps one or two other reasons.” 

The devices required were described as:

• A password-protected mobile which has a GPS, etc., on a network like Google Talk which is global and just about free, and which can take good-quality still photos
• A waterproof, shock-proof tablet/iPad/a-Pad item which is the link to super-secure encrypted cloud storage, and which can take decent movies

And finally the needed cloud requirements would be “a very secure online system, to store all my files and folders, so that my office becomes mobile. I would access my online office totally by way of an iPad or something similar. I would need to be able to upload, store, arrange and edit – all the normal things one does in an office. It would ALL need to be done online, securely, accessible from anywhere, with reliable backups and human support where needed etc. It would need a very large disk storage space for text, sound, movie, images and all sorts of other files (my entire office, which is 70GB at the moment). In addition, I would want to enter the cloud via secure means, and only then get access to the range of websites I frequent: banks, tax department, email, my website, colleagues' websites etc - all to be done inside the cloud so that I can access internet from WiFi and other public spaces, securely.”

Actually, most of what is described above can be made available today using public cloud services. Windows Live for example provides reasonably large disk spaces for free, e-mail, access to most of the popular office applications etc. So, technically, this vision is not impossible. HP’s e-Print offering even allows you to print from the cloud directly on a printer using an e-mail address. However, there are a couple non-technical issues that may limit the practicality of this vision, at least in the foreseeable future. Let’s look at what is needed in more details.

4 necessities for truly super mobile worker

First, such vision implies constant and ubiquitous access to the internet. Believe me, that’s not the case. I’m not talking about the cost of data roaming, but as I write this blog entry while on a TGV train running at 300km (200 miles) per hour, I can tell you that wireless access in such situations is challenging at best. To implement such vision, we first need to make internet available everywhere and make the connection to the internet easy and cheap. Sure you have hotspots all around the countries, but each time you need to connect, approve terms and conditions, enter credit card numbers etc. Or you need to use a service as Boingo to facilitate connection.

Second, consider the security implications. The vision repeatedly mentions security and encryption. In a section I did not quote, it goes as far as speaking about military grade encryption. Unfortunately governments do not allow such levels to be used for commercial services as they want to make sure they can always unencrypt the data if required. The public cloud claims to be extremely secure, but unfortunately lacks transparency. So, it’s up to the user to trust the system, and that is something I leave to your appreciation.

Third, we have compliance. The legal system has not embraced the cloud yet, and there is no indication it will soon. Regional and country specific legislation associated with privacy, health, financial and other data makes it rather difficult to be fully compliant in the cloud. Service providers addressing these issues are appearing on the market, but it may make the service less than optimal. If you are in Russia and rely on services provided by a datacenter in Chile to take an example, well your latency may not be ideal. There is however a second issue related with compliance. And this one is associated with the way your cloud service provider respects your privacy. Many of the social media and public cloud providers have demonstrated very little respect for your privacy. Do you really want your service provider to track you around the globe? Again that is a question you have to answer.

And fourth, is the iPad or an equivalent device the tool that allows you to support all your business and private activities? I have tried a tablet, and frankly my answer is no. I don’t find it easy to create presentations, manipulate spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet. No it cannot replace my portable laptop at the moment.

So, the vision is extremely attractive, but four elements need to be addressed.

• First the internet should become ubiquitous and easy/cheap to access. That’s quite feasible.
• Second, the public cloud providers need to accept that, to be trusted, they will have to share how they secure their environments. They also will have to demonstrate greater respect for the privacy of their users/consumers. That’s probably a little more difficult, but if we, as users, choose the most respectful ones, they will understand quickly.
• Third, legislation needs to be adapted. Cloud related elements should have a consistent legislation across the globe. That’s another challenge all together.
• And then lastly, we have to develop a true “window to the cloud,” allowing us to be productive and perform work while using the cloud to our benefit. At some moments in time we need portability as in a tablet, at others, the ease of use of a PC. So, why not combine both devices, create a device that looks like a PC, but where the screen can be taken out and used as a tablet when required. WiFi, Bluetooth, 3/4G communications should be included with the screen, while a powerful processor should be available in the base. The two should work seamlessly together when connected; giving me the ease of use I require to perform complex tasks. Applications on such device should be able to continue operate when the cloud is not available, limiting productivity exposure to the cloud.

Depending on the nature of my work, on the sensitive nature of the data I manipulate and on the compliance requirements associated with the business processes I execute, I may or may not be able to start today. Ultimately I need four things:

• A network backbone allowing me to access my information anywhere, anyway, anytime, and a stable internet service provides that. The instability of mobile internet is the limiting factor.
• A secure repository in which I can maintain my information, and that transfers the information back and forth in a highly encrypted way. What is important is to ensure I'm  happy with the level of security provided. So the lack of transparency of the security/compliance associated with the existing services (Google Docs, Windows Live etc.) may be a potential barrier.
• A set of applications I can “consume” when required and that manipulate my information in a secure manner. Here also, lack of transparency in the public cloud is limiting adoption
• Last but not least, a “window to the cloud” that allows me to perform my work and interact with my information and the services I consume. The available devices are going in the right direction, but frankly I haven’t found the converged device yet.

The technologies are getting there, it’s up to me to assess whether what is offered today addresses my needs in availability, security, privacy and compliance.

So, this is how I would comment on this vision. Do you agree with me? Are you sensitive to some of the points I make? Let me know.

[#2]

Could this enquiry be summarised as:

Mobile VPN-encased, PGP-based security, encrypted, double authenticated, non-USA hosted, AES 512 or more, pay-for-what-you-use-only, hosted desktop public or private cloud storage for individual use worldwide which is affordable for the average person.

Should the ideal system be structured as follows:

To jump on the internet from anywhere, the user first accesses a mobile VPN > User then accesses hosted desktop > Double authentication gives access to online banking, cloud, the phone system and all websites.

*

More questions:

The correct cloud service would need to provide storage, frequent auto-backup, 250GB data allowance minimum, no installation since the physical devices I have may be stolen, and I must be able to retrieve all my cloud data quickly if I choose to leave that company.

Which mobile phone is best for low radiation, which supports apps that can track stolen phones and lock them and wipe all data, and which works very cheaply internationally?

Data from the cloud needs to be encrypted before it moves between the cloud and my whereabouts, and vice versa. Is the solution to use 2 different encryption systems (one with the cloud and one with a compact portable plug-in hard drive)?

If I encase all my internet activity in a mobile VPN, how would such a configuration best be done?

If I use a hosted desktop, how I can be sure there is no back door that permits unwanted access?

Is the best phone system Skype, Viber, Twilio, Google Talk or Google Chat or TravelSim by Allphones? Or another? I would like the mobile to be integrated into my arrangements so I can receive and make calls from any nation to any nation, very cheaply. The phone also needs to take messages, and I would like to be able to use it when connected to internet, as well as when not connected to internet. I also want to be able to access my

phone system from other devices such as a tablet, if the mobile phone is stolen and I have not yet got a replacement.

To avoid having to carry many dongles and authentication devices, can all

authentications be done using my mobile phone? If the mobile is stolen, could I simply transfer the number to a new mobile phone and continue as normal – no matter which nation I am in?

What travel / medical insurance company is recommended for this lifestyle, and which will accept a customer using such technology?

Will a cloud-based browser help secure online banking transactions done from public computers? What arrangement will be most secure and convenient for online banking?

What is the most appropriate and simple online diary (to be stored within the chosen cloud), which can be quickly and easily accessed on any mobile device?

If I use a service like Boingo.com, will all my internet and cloud activity be safe?

If I need to change one of the providers in the arrangement, I do not wish the rest of the setup to be negatively affected or to malfunction.

Even though the cloud needs to be secure, I do not want to be inconvenienced when least expected due to security standards.

All the above needs to be integrated, compatible, legal and safe.

[#3]

Alastair,

Thanks for your lengthy comment. You are actually raising a lot of very good questions, and unfortunately I do not believe all the answers are available today. Let me address some of the points.

As far as authentication is concerned, I would definitely suggest physical authentication using finger print or something similar. That avoids having to carry dongles or any other physical device, and increasingly laptops and other devices have fingerprint readers (at least that is what most HP business PC's have for example). It works very well (using that myself) and is pretty secure as it measures your finger temperature to avoid mutilation etc.

Can you be sure of no backdoor when using hosted desktop. Unfortunately not, and it would require a pretty robust software to be downloaded at the start to scan the environment. This would take time and might not be practical. So, I would suggest the use of hosted desktops only for non critical applications/information.

As far as phone is concerned, I would personally go with Skype as it is the one having the most acceptance and is available on many devices. The main issue is related to the fact they are not transparent as far as their security measures are concerned, but Google and the others aren't either.

Hope this helps..

[#4]

This is very helpful, thank you. And it would be great to see more opinions coming in.

[#5]

For certain applications, such as engineering applications in the cloud, your connection needs to be low latency, low jitter, high bandwidth and low packet loss.  Those are hard to achieve in a WAN, let alone when the public internet is in route.

Rob

[#6]

You are absolutely correct. Actually we are working with Alcatel Lucent on this topic and propose telco operators an integrated management of their cloud and network environments to be able to provide low latency access to specific cloud datacenters for such applications. Obviously only the owner of the network is able to manage the network elements, why the focus on telco providers. This allows them to differentiate themselves from other service providers for services requiring low latency and high bandwidth.

[#7]

Dear Christian, if any further developments come to light on the above subject, please do inform me! I am still investigating. All the best, Alastair.