If you aren't familiar with what was known as the BYOD - Bring Your Own Device - phenomenon, but which these days has become merely commonplace, we'd have to ask what rock you've been hiding under. Regardless of how commonplace BYOD has become within the enterprise, there are still plenty of enterprise issues associated with it - almost all of them having to do with data security. In many cases these security issues happen to also include issues of identity management - as in is the user using that authorized device really that user you think it is. You get the picture.

Well, a recent survey strongly suggests that most enterprises are not yet able to really deliver on truly secure BYOD implementations, the chief problem being users that simply refuse to follow the policies that businesses have set up.

We ourselves don't think much about BYOD these days - rather we're far more concerned with issues of BYOS - Bring Your Own Storage. We're speaking here of the exploding use of personal cloud-based storage services, such as those delivered by companies such as Dropbox. It is enormously easy for users to take otherwise secure enterprise files, documents, spreadsheets and so on, and simply upload them to such personal cloud services and then make them available to use elsewhere - such as in home offices or while traveling on business.

Well, such BYOS scenarios pose significant data security risks. The question is what can be done about it? SearchYourCloud may very well have an answer for you.

One last thing on BYOD this week: A new Cisco Partner Network study has just been published, and if you’re interested in or need to know about such issues as how much and how often our smartphones and tablets are used for work, whether end users believe their companies are ready for BYOD, and how many companies are helping employees purchase such devices, and so on, this study may be exactly what you are looking for. 

We don't think it holds much in the way of surprises, but it is very likely to offer you confirmation of what you've been thinking.

Did you know that Verizon Wireless is owned in large part by Vodafone? It's true; Vodafone owns roughly $115 billion worth of Verizon Wireless shares - and those dollars make up about 75 percent of Vodafone's total value as a company. It's an interesting scenario since Verizon Wireless is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Now Verizon Wireless is beginning to think it's time to change a few ownership dynamics and wants to do a Vodafone deal - one that perhaps includes Verizon buying Vodafone.

We've often wondered how long Verizon would choose to sit on Vodafone ownership - it looks like we may finally get an answer.

Here's another "did you know" for you concerning Verizon. Did you know that Verizon is the sixth largest provider of TV services in the United States? It is. And Verizon is now considering using the clout that comes with that size to work out some ways to deliver new TV content and channel bundling options. More specifically, Verizon would pay content providers only when a subscriber tunes in for at least five minutes at a stretch, and also wants to begin charging its FiOS TV subscribers only for the channels they actually watch. Sounds like a good deal for consumers - or would it merely be a good deal for Verizon?

If you’re anything like us, every once in a while when you read a column where you just wish you could speak to that columnist directly and maybe teach him or her a few things - or at least be able to engage in some level of debate. We often want to do exactly that. Guess what? Thanks to video company, Volio, and Esquire Magazine, perhaps it will become a reality! Esquire has decided to launch alongside Volio a new service - Talk to Esquire - an app for the magazine that gives users a more personalized, almost face-to-face experience with its columnists.

Have you heard about the new next generation Windows Blue "secret build"? It's no longer a secret. Build 9364 of Windows Blue has emerged thanks to a recent leak. There's little in the way of consensus as to just what this new build actually represents. Some suggest its SP1 for Windows 8 or Windows 8 Second Edition. Some believe this may well be the early version of Windows 9. Microsoft, not surprisingly, is keeping quiet but the analyses are flying fast and furious to get a better handle on just what Windows Blue represents. Join the club.

We're going to wrap this week up with something that may prove quite fun. In case you haven't heard, last week Google unveiled something it calls Google's World Wide Maze. What is it? It is both a cool interactive game and an HTML5 and WebSocket experiment, wherein the game turns any website into a 3D maze that you then need to navigate around by using your smartphone to control rolling a marble through the 3D maze that is constructed from the website. You do need to have Chrome installed on your desktop but any smartphone can be used as part of the game - the two become synced, allowing the game to work across both devices. We ourselves have managed to get synced up but while we are able to get our marble ball to "jump" from our iPhone, we have not yet been able to use the iPhone to move the ball - which is done by tilting the smartphone around. Give it a whirl.

Happy Easter (if you celebrate) and have a great weekend!