Vendors stick their oar in over BBC handheld debate

The BBC is wrong to claim Microsoft's PocketPC 2002 operating system is more secure than rival technologies according to IT services company, CSC.

Leslie Brower, mobile computing product manager EMEA at CSC, has run extensive security tests alongside the company's head of security, Bill Pepper, on various PDA operating systems.

Tests showed a range of handheld devices are virtually impossible to hack into, unlike laptop computers Brower said.

He said: "We have our own set of people that can pretty much hack into anything. After three days of trying to hack into the PDAs, they found they could only wipe the machines - leaving it blank - not hack them."

Brower added: "Laptops are far easier. You just pull out the hard drive and stick it into another laptop to get all the information you want."

However, Paul Cockerton spokesman for the Symbian operating system, which the BBC has banned staff from using, disagreed. He said: "For PocketPC 2002 you need to purchase other security applications to make sure it's absolutely secure.

"Symbian's security comes as standard. We're in favour of open standards so we use Java that offers lots of security features, plus we work with all the major security companies."

Dr Richard Sykes, chairman of sourcing consultancy Morgan Chambers, said the BBC is looking at PDAs from a controlling point of view, not security.

Sykes said: "I'm not surprised a centralised company such as the BBC exerts a tendency to control IT. They're like politicians. They don't want someone screwing up and the blame coming back on them."

Microsoft's product manager in its mobility group, Ed Suwanjindar, stood up for his operating system and the BBC's decision to choose Microsoft.

Suwanjindar said: "Security isn't the only reason why enterprises are choosing PocketPC. The software offers the widest range of connectivity with options like 802.11b, CDPD, Bluetooth, GSM and GPRS. Microsoft's vision in mobility is to create a seamless wireless ecosystem."