Safe Computing in the Age of Ubiquitous Connectivity

The emergence of ubiquitous broadband connectivity has transformed the computing landscape. Telecommuting is no longer limited to those whose work can be done from a fixed home office. Telecommuting has embraced the hundreds of thousands of workers whose day is spent in the field visiting clients and customers. The worker's umbilical to the office is a mobile device with a secure connection provisioned using a fluid, ad-hoc combination of customer accommodations, public Wi-Fi hot-spots, and cellular modems. Ubiquitous high-speed networking brings a new dimension to security and privacy for both parties. There is a need to provide privacy for the telecommuter, wherever they are, and a need for the host to accommodate communications. At the same time, the host must maintain the integrity of their internal network or systems. The well-known Internet standards provide a foundation and a springboard for properly providing robust security in this fluid environment.