The ubiquitous nature of mobile devices like iPhones, iPads, and Android devices among consumers has led to an interesting dilemma for IT security professionals. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to work has become the norm in many organizations today. Gartner has stated that, by 2014, 90 percent of organizations will support corporate applications on consumer devices and 80 percent of professionals will use at least two personal devices to access corporate data. The general capital outlay is decreasing, but is it at the terrible expense of security, privacy and control? Those devices are downloading company email, connecting to company resources, and potentially storing sensitive company information. What happens to that information when an employee leaves the company? That question is causing security professionals to investigate mobile device security.
MDM (Mobile Device Management) solutions are now becoming an important component to companies’ IT security plans. Software can play a part in security, but without a comprehensive mobile security policy, the software will not accomplish your goals. Colden Company Inc. recommends that businesses review their company or HR handbooks and develop clear and enforceable policies centered around mobile devices. For example, do you allow your employees to download company email to their personal phone? Is that acceptable? Should their device have a passcode or password on it? What do you do if the employee leaves the company? Is it clear that employees should not download company data onto their personal mobile devices? What are the penalties for non-compliance? It is important that the policy be developed with the input of business leaders, not just left at the doorstep of the IT department.
Once the policy is written and reviewed, there are a variety of tools available for remotely wiping phones, implementing password policies, and enforcing other security policies. It is tempting to put the cart before the horse and purchase the tools before the policy is developed, but we caution against that.
What is clear is that mobile devices are going to continue to play a larger and more important role in business computing. Businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve are understanding this trend and proactively addressing it. If your business would like to discuss how it can stay ahead , please contact us at (888) 600-4560, email us at info@coldencompany.com or see us on Facebook or Twitter.