2d TSB testing new BYOD application

Photo By Kristin King | Retractable roll-up banner used for building branding, unit identification and events. This is one of a series of 11 unique designs. This design identifies the 2d TSB Battalions and their headquarters locations and provides an overarching snapshot that emphasizes the size, reach, and AOR of our Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Kristin King)  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

08.18.2023

Story by Candy C Knight 

2d Theater Signal Brigade

WIESBADEN, Germany — The 2d Theater Signal Brigade always seeks innovative technology to improve communication processes and increase efficiency.

Brigade members are currently participating in the Army’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) with Hypori Halo virtual application program.

“Hypori is a virtual app that allows you to check government email and Teams, check MyPay, and digitally sign PDFs from your personal phone, negating the need for a Defense Mobility Unclassified Capability (DMUC) and having to carry two phones,” said Ray Chase, S6, 2d Theater Signal Bde. “With this app, users have a separate, 100% private, secure virtual device on their personal physical device, thus they can be productive from anywhere, anytime.”

Researching new technologies and ways to streamline communications and processes is an effort Brigade leadership champions. They’ve encouraged their staff to join the pilot program and test the application.

“I believe (leadership’s) vision is to showcase ease-of-use and give people good information to make an informed decision on the benefits of this technology while demonstrating the convenience of its usage,” Mr. Chase said. “Though it is still technically a pilot, plenty of licenses are still available on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

Although the app’s innovation makes communication easier, interested users may hesitate to freely sign up for a program that may give the Army access to their personal files and information.

According to Mr. Chase, the Army does not want access to the user’s physical device or personal information.

“Security measures are in place so that the Army never has access to the user’s physical device, nor do they want access,” he said. “Unlike MDM/MAM/UEM software, Hypori Halo does not have the ability to view or access the user’s personal information on the physical device – nor does the Army. No data is stored on the physical device. There is no data transmitted from Hypori Halo to the physical device, just the pixels of what is represented in the virtual workspace hosted in the cARMY cloud. No data saved on the device means there is no data to lose, no data to leak, no data to wipe.”

Bjoern Geschka, Life Cycle Manager, 2d Theater Signal Brigade, chose to participate to have a secure backup – a vital necessity for today’s modern mobile workforce.

“I mainly saw it as a backup solution,” he said. “It’s easy to hop on Hypori using mobile broadband and at least shoot your peers a message via MS Teams or Email. Furthermore, As part of the brigade’s S-6, we’re always investing in new technology, so I wanted to try it out to understand its capabilities so I can answer questions from our customers.”

Additionally, the app has enhanced his property and procurement management efficiency.

“Since I’m also dealing with property and procurement, I developed a habit of photographing hand receipts, serial numbers or devices with Hypori. This way, you can sync the pictures to MS OneDrive and have them available on your computer immediately.”

The BYOD program is open to all @army.mil users, including military (Active, Guard, Reserve), Civilian, and Contractor personnel. The following devices and operating systems are authorized to participate in the program. If your device manufacturer is not on this list, it will not be allowed to connect to BYOD/Hypori system.

• Apple: Any Apple device running iOS 13 or later
• Android: Any Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, LG, Sony, Microsoft device running Android 10 or later

“Even if you don’t want to be available all the time, which you don’t have to if you’re using Hypori, it’s a good backup solution in today’s technology-driven world,” Mr. Geschka said. “Unlike with our government-issued cellphones, everyone can sign up, and it’s fairly easy too.”

Visit www.hypori.com/army-byod to learn more about the Army’s BYOD, or contact your local S6.

- Visit www.2sigbde.army.mil for more on the 2d Theater Signal Brigade
- Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BrigadeofExcellence
- Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/2sigbde
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• Date Taken: 08.18.2023
• Date Posted: 08.18.2023 07:21
• Story ID: 451625
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE