Absolute Launches Apple iPad and iPhone Security and Management

Vancouver, Canada: November 23, 2010 – Absolute® Software Corporation (“Absolute” or the “Company”) (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure computer lifecycle management solutions announced today that it has launched Absolute Manage Mobile Device Management (MDM) for iOS 4 devices, such as the iPhone® and iPad®. The breakthrough solution available with Absolute Manage allows IT departments to efficiently manage and secure iOS 4 devices alongside their PC and Mac® computers from their platform of choice, Mac or Windows.

“Apple mobile devices are immensely popular with consumers and are now making a notable impact in the enterprise. People want to use their preferred device at work as well, but IT has been hesitant due to a lack of solutions on the market that can provide security and management capabilities for Apple mobile devices. Absolute Software is a leader in managing and securing endpoints, and our customers asked us to extend our cross-platform capabilities to iOS 4 devices,” said Peter Frankl, vice president of lifecycle management at Absolute Software. “With the launch of Absolute Manage MDM for iOS 4, our customers can have the control and security they need for the enterprise while keeping their employees happy and increasing productivity.”

Absolute Manage is one of the first software solutions to allow IT administrators to remotely manage, wipe and lock Apple® iOS 4 devices from either a PC or Mac, computer –without the need for extra hardware or software infrastructure. With the addition of MDM, Absolute Manage customers can manage PCs, Mac computers and now iOS 4 devices from a single, comprehensive user interface in a PC or Mac infrastructure. 

According to Derek E. Brink, Vice President and Research Fellow for IT Security at Aberdeen Group, “Aberdeen's research confirms that the latest consumer devices are indeed gaining traction, in businesses of all sizes, a trend which is accelerating with the popularity of the Apple iPad. Organizations that are struggling to manage the diversity and volume of these devices over their lifecycle will welcome the introduction of solutions such as this from Absolute Software, which are purpose-built for what has quickly become the new normal.”

“One of the central reasons we selected Absolute Manage initially was the ability to manage large numbers of Macs from within our primarily Windows environment. Traditionally, this has been somewhat overlooked by other providers of lifecycle management solutions,” says Talha F Basit, client software and systems manager at Chicago Public Schools. “As a team that is seeing much interest in iPads at all levels in our organization, we are very pleased to see that Absolute continues to offer solutions for managing the latest Apple devices in a true enterprise environment.”

Absolute Manage MDM features include:

• Asset Inventory: Gather over 67 hardware and software information items including device serial numbers, MAC addresses, installed applications, telephone numbers, and more.
• Data & Device Security: Set prerequisites for longer, more complex passcodes for enterprise level security. Lock a device, clear a password, and wipe a device clean to factory settings.
• Remote Provisioning: Manage and deploy profiles to configure email, restrict applications, set up VPN, disable the camera, and deploy web clips.
• Absolute Apps: Securely host, remotely deploy, and distribute in-house applications to employee iOS 4 devices.
• End User Messaging: Send customized messages and communicate with end users.

For PC and Mac computers, Absolute Manage features include:

• Application & License Management – Deploy software and manage licenses across the network.
• Security, Change & Configuration Management – Remotely monitor and adjust configurations, and execute files.
• Automated Patch Management – Centrally manage and install patches, and report on patch status for all managed systems.
• Computer Imaging – Install a complete OS plus all standard applications onto computers while in use or just out of the box.
• Power Management – Comply with green initiatives and lower total cost of ownership by remotely enforcing power saving policy profiles.
• Asset Inventory – Collect hardware and software data points from devices over the network and analyze the information for timely and fact-based asset management decisions.

Absolute Manage MDM for iOS 4 is now available as a standalone product or as a component of Absolute Manage.