Security risks and data breaches are growing while the form factors of computing devices shrink—because much enterprise data today is created and consumed on mobile devices. This clearly explains why mobile security persistently tops the list of most pressing enterprise security concerns.
Currently, most of the mobile security in place is in the form of Mobile Devices Management (MDM) tools that provide such capabilities as device asset management, secure browsing, application whitelisting, data loss prevention, mobile VPN, app-level VPN and many more. While most CISOs, CIOs, and security analysts I’ve spoken to conclude that while MDM isn’t an adequate mobile security answer, it’s currently an important part of the mobile defense toolkit, especially in larger enterprises. And, as is often the case with enterprise data security, there are never any easy answers.
Fortunately, the shift to mobile doesn’t mean a shift in mindset for security professionals. In fact, the shift to mobile doesn’t change much of anything at a high level when protecting data and applications. In actuality, all of the same security practices are needed on mobile devices as they always have been on notebooks and desktops and any other computing form factor: user authentication and authorization, encryption, enforcing security policies, and everything else that comes with keeping data secure.
To help you keep your enterprise mobile app access and data secure, we’ve assembled this most recent Mobile Survival Guide, which includes links to some of our most important and informative mobile security articles, as well as five of the core mobile security tenets you should keep in mind when securing enterprise mobile devices.
First: Give users access to devices that can be secured and securely managed.
Look for smartphones and tablets that come with inherent security controls. This includes the ability to find misplaced or stolen phones, cleanse data off the devices, and support the device configurations to a steady standard. Take a good look at how you can secure Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Microsoft, and other mobile platforms within your organization.
