The use of handheld devices e.g. smart phones, tablets among business professionals have doubled in last few years. Now a day, everyone is solely depended on their mobiles phones to communicate critical information, access confidential data, conduct research and also take crucial business decision. Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our business life although they have a high security threat and risk of data loss and theft. This is why we are citing eight easy steps to boost mobile security of your business.
The first step for you data safety is to device strategy on mobile security. Develop a comprehensive security strategy that includes and deals with all issues as trivial as “Proxies” or as major as data confidentiality or theft. While developing the strategy, your priority should be on the data not the device itself. The loss of data is far more expensive than losing a device. So, it is always a wise idea to develop a data structure where the information is stored in a secured and centralized location. Thirdly, use a range of diversified solutions and tools instead of depending on a single resource. So, make a systematic evaluation of all the solutions in the market and pick up the best ones for your own security. The fourth step in the process is to train up your staff so that they can understand security risks resulting from their actions and behaviours. The best security systems in the world can be useless if the employees do not know how to use them.
Next step for an enterprise mobile security system is to adopt a robust mobile device management solution that makes device administration, data provision, support, backup & restore, reporting and GPS tracking a piece of cake. Incorporating conventional security measures such as antivirus, file encryption, data loss prevention, VPNs is also a good idea. Another important thing that most people forget is to focus on privacy issues. Privacy is a key concern for organizations as it might lead to legal consequences in case of data loss. Last but not the least, always try to stay agile with your security system. Sticking to your conventional strategy might not be adequate enough to deal with new threats. It is always a good idea to use six-month strategy which will be always updated with the market.
Are you unsure of your current mobile security? Ask yourself these basic questions and develop your ongoing corporate mobile device security policy and practice.
Always an IT guy, Ernie Sherman has been fulfilling the needs of Ottawa small businesses as a member of the Fuelled Networks, Ltd. (formerly Harris Computer Services) team since joining the company in 1998.
Sherman’s commitment to excellence is evident in his achievements and memberships. From 2007 to 2012, he was a member of the advisory council for SonicWALL. He’s been a member of the business executive peer group organization HTG since 2008 and won the Microsoft Impact Award in 2011. In 2003, Sherman was honored to be named Ottawa’s 40 under 40 winner. He is a Microsoft Gold Partner who also sat on the board of IAMCP Canada.
Sherman also enjoys giving back to the community and currently serves on the board of It’s A New Day Golf Tournament, which has so far raised more than $1.2 million for the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
Ernie Sherman is president of Fuelled Networks and can be reached at ernies@fuellednetworks.com or visit the Fuelled Networks website at www.fuellednetworks.com
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