Convergence goes from mobile to IT

IT'S NOT THAT OFTEN that technology developed entirely for the cellular industry makes the transition across into the IT world. But that's the case with Mobiu from The Key Revolution.

Just to put extra emphasis on the fact that this is the case, not only is Mobiu based on technology licensed from network operator, Vodafone, but the founders of The Key Revolution are ex-Vodafone as well.

So what does Mobiu do? In essence, it provides web 2.0 computing. You can access your documents from a Windows-based laptop or PC anytime, anywhere. Using security software based on mobile technology.

What Mobiu does is take a standard GSM-style SIM card; insert it into a dongle, and then take advantage of standard GSM technology to protect data and to remove all traces of a data connection.

The appeal, as far as The Key Revolution is concerned, is that this product doesn't require a desktop PC to be sitting live on the Net with all of its files available to a remote user.

Another important aspect to this product is that the company hopes the majority of its sales will go through distribution. Sold by both mobile and IT resellers who understand the advantages of secure remote access to key data files.

The curious thing is that presently there's no smartphone access to this facility. It's aimed purely at home workers or Road Warriors.

At £135 plus VAT per annum for a Mobiu subscription, this service isn't cheap, especially as you only get 5 GB of storage space as standard.

On the other hand, the product's inherent security will appeal to many users especially in the public sector. If you lose your Mobiu dongle and it goes live on the Net again, it's easy to send a disabling message OTA so thieves can't steal your data.

It's not often that you see technology go the other way and migrate from cellular to IT. However, the INQ fears this might be more of a niche product that its inventors currently envisage. µ