Greetings!

As I have pointed out previously in these pages, this year, the number of post-PC devices such as tablets, eReaders, and Internet-capable mobile phones, will eclipse PC devices, such as desktops, laptops, and netbooks. I heard a story earlier this week about a CEO who went to a board meeting and felt a little cranky because he was the only person at the meeting who didn’t have an iPad.

The invasion of non-traditional computing devices into the business sphere is a big deal for Security and Risk professionals. It changes the perception of what computing is, and creates what my colleague Jeff Hammond calls “the mess of many.” And when it comes to security, the changes are even more profound. Not only are these devices smaller and more personal, but they are more likely to be lost or stolen. And as your favorite security vendors have been pointing out, they just might be riskier too.

At Forrester we have a slightly different take than the security vendors. Post-PC devices aren’t like general-purpose PCs. They don’t run general-purpose operating systems, and they have distinct security characteristics that make them more risky in some ways, but less risky in other ways.