Elton is currently a second year student attending Hawaii Community College majoring in IT and Cybersecurity. He has previously attained an A.A.S degree in Data Processing from Hawaii Community College, and a Certificate of Competence in Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (Cybersecurity) from UH Maui College. Elton’s short-term goals are to either continue his education in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity or to find a career in the Cybersecurity field. Elton hopes to eventually create a cloud data center for the Big Island in hopes of attracting future high-tech companies to the island and create better career opportunities for local STEM graduates. In his free time, Elton enjoys exploring new technologies, creating digital media, and finding recipes online to expand his culinary skills.

Home Island: Big Island
High School:
Institution when accepted: UH Hawaii CC

Akamai Project: Designing a Mobile Device Management Solution for Gemini Observatory
Project Site: Gemini Observatory
Mentor: Chris Stark

Project Abstract:

Mobile devices are becoming more common in the workplace today because they are able to emulate the traditional roles of desktop computing.  Gemini Observatory (North) in Hilo, Hawaii, have systems management solutions to fulfill the needs of both IT and end users for desktop computers, but have no complete mobile solutions.  The software and hardware devices that Gemini owns fulfill some of the requirements for an Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution but collectively, they do not meet the specific needs of the organization.  Despite the abundance of systems management tools available to manage desktop computers, most of these tools do not have the functionality to support mobile device platforms such as iOS or Android.  We performed an assessment to determine if an Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) solution was necessary or if smaller solutions could be implemented to manage specific needs.  After meeting with the stakeholders of the MDM project, a decision was made to narrow the scope of the project in order to produce a solution that specifically managed iOS devices tied to Zoom-enabled conference rooms located within Gemini’s areas of operation.  Comparing the documentation to the needs assessment produced a list of 7 potential solutions.  We discovered that the Apple Configurator 2 application, which provides the device supervision, and the macOS Server software, which provides the MDM capabilities, are necessary for the MDM solution to function.  In order for this to become a full MDM solution, further testing is needed.  Implementing macOS Server and Apple Configurator 2 will solve the iOS and MacOS MDM needs of Gemini however it is limited to these two platforms.  In order for future mobile device platforms to be incorporated into the MDM solution, other products must be researched.