FORT MEADE, Md., May 17, 2013 – The security technical implementation guide for mobile devices using Apple’s iOS6 operating system has been approved, Defense Information Systems Agency officials announced.
Approval of the guide, known as a “STIG,” means that government-issued iOS6 mobile devices are approved for use when connecting to Defense Department networks within current mobility pilots or the future mobile device management framework, officials said.
DISA is responsible for establishment of the Mobility Device Management system, which is in source selection, with award anticipated in early summer.
The DOD mobility strategy includes mobile devices configured to the STIG, in combination with an actively managed and defended MDM system. The MDM provides a process for managing and distributing mobile applications and an enhanced cyber defense infrastructure, officials explained.
“All of these pieces must be in place to allow the secure use of commercial mobile devices on department networks,” said Mark Orndorff, DISA information assurance executive and program executive officer for mission assurance and network operations. “DISA is running a pilot program today where we bring this all together.”
The release of the Apple iOS 6 STIG is a major stride in building a multivendor environment, supporting a diverse selection of devices and operating systems, DISA officials said. This STIG and the recently approved STIGs for the BlackBerry and Samsung Knox operating systems demonstrate DISA’s commitment to validate a range of devices that meet DOD security standards so the best technology is available to achieve mission requirements, they added.
Actual orders will be tied to identification of specific operational requirements and funding availability of using organizations, officials said.
In announcing the latest STIG approval, DISA officials said a key objective of the Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan is to establish a departmentwide mobile enterprise solution that permits the use of the latest commercial technology — such as smartphones and tablets — and the development of an enterprise mobile device management capability and application store to support about 100,000 devices from multiple vendors by February.
The Defense Department has more than 600,000 commercial mobile devices in operational and pilot use, including about 470,000 BlackBerrys, 41,000 Apple operating system devices and 8,700 Android operating system devices.
Officials said the STIG does not allow personally acquired mobile devices to connect to DOD networks.