Samsung To Employees: Eh, Leave Our Cell Phone At Home

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/25/samsung-ceo-bans-company-use-of-8gb-sgh-b570/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/25/...f-8gb-sgh-b570/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"We've heard stories about companies banning the use of certain kinds of products, such as cameraphones or digital audio players, since they could potentially be used to snap pics of or download classified info. But in what must be a first-of-its-kind case, Samsung has actually banned employees from using one of the company's own products out of industrial espionage fears. Ki-Tae Lee, CEO of Samsung Electronics Telecommunications Network, has apparently warned employees not to pick up the company's SGH-B570 cellphones, because the music-playing phone's 8GB capacity "is more than enough to steal all confidential data about our company.""</i><br /><br /><img src=http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/samsung_8GB_dmb_2.jpg><br /><br />We've discussed the problem that cell phone cameras pose to employers and confidential data, but this is one of the first times the issue of storage space on a device has been brought up. As Engadget points out, this ban curiously leaves out flash drives and portable hard drives, unless those were already taboo at Samsung. Are we now endowed with too much storage for our own good?

[ctmagnus]

Keeping form factor reasonably the same, you can never have too much storage.

[SteveHoward999]

We will never have enough storage. Simple.

But restrictions in the workplace on devices such as this are completely reasonable given how untrustworthy some of us are.

This is just more fuel for the argument of continuing to make non-converged phones and devices available. Many of us need the choice, whether for freedom's sake or because of workplace restrictions.

Meanwhile, I'm still looking forward to a decent replacement for my E830 - must be at least VGA screen, have 20 Gb or more internal storage space, bluetooth, wi-fi, USB host, monitor out (wireless would be great) and 8 hour battery life under normal use.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Samsung ban thier own phones? :rotfl:

This is just more fuel for the argument of continuing to make non-converged phones and devices available. Many of us need the choice, whether for freedom's sake or because of workplace restrictions.

I second the motion. :wink:

[WorksForTurkeys]

but, Samsung corporate-wide only has 8GB of confidential data? I thought they were a larger company.

I'm only one of 5000 technologists in the US division of my employer's (they're multi-national), and just one of my linux application-systems runs a dbms of 1.3 TB worth of "confidential" data. Even if I duplicated the dbms, I wouldn't be accessing more than 1% (if that much) of the total data processed in our US operations.

I wonder just how much data Samsung's employees really have access to, and to what extent this announcement is more a form of viral advertising masquarading as "news".

[SteveHoward999]

but, Samsung corporate-wide only has 8GB of confidential data? I thought they were a larger company.

I'm sure they have lots more data, but there is some data that's lots more important than most. 8Gb can amount to a shedload of really important data.

[mirskym]

Ridiculous! This won't deter theft by crooked employees and will inconvenience all the others.

[BevHoward]

8 gig

It's easier to hide four 2 gig mini sd cards than a cellphone ;-)

[Jon Westfall]

8 gig

It's easier to hide four 2 gig mini sd cards than a cellphone ;-)

How true, considering they could simply be placed in back of a business card case... I wonder how long until companies start demanding full-body checks to see if you're carrying memory ;)

[clarkth]

This is just more fuel for the argument of continuing to make non-converged phones and devices available.

Yes, I would love a phone that's just a phone, a pocket pc that's just a pocket pc, and an mp3 player that just an mp3 player. Is that asking too much?

[Cybrid]

This is a load of digested hay.
Even full body scans couldn't eliminate all the possible ways data could be smuggled.
Not only that. It's easy enough to hack a server especially from within

[Tierran]

At first I thought it was a reasonable concern and then remembered that I have 2 GB of sd cards on my person at work. Far smaller and hideable anywhere...almost undetectable.

With my office at least they do want a record of all memory devices brought into the office but that doesn't help if you have bad intentions and just don't tell them.

I would guess that Samsung doesn't just ban that phone though.

[brianworkman]

Has Samsung, or any other manufacture for that matter, hinted or showed any new Windows Mobile (PPC) Phone Edition devices that have 8 gb (or more) hard drives? Especially ones coming to Verizon!