How to Boost Device Security in Business

The development of new tech the world is undoubtedly transforming how companies are operating. Gadgets like mobile devices are boosting productivity at work. You might not know this, but chances are your employees might be using their own mobile devices for work. It is a good trend though it doesn’t come without a cost. Yes, your business data could be exposed to the risk of a breach if you don’t have the control to secure them. In this regard, you ought to step up the efforts and implement security measures to secure mobile devices in your business.

Develop a mobile security policy

One place to start is to create concrete policies that take care of mobile security. You need to bring onboard your IT department to develop mobile policies that will allow your team to be productive, while at the same time protecting your business data and systems from unauthorized access. Before allowing your employees to use their devices for work purposes, you must design policy and pass it to them. The mobile device policy should address the following:

  • Protection of data at rest: the data at rest includes all the data that is stored on mobile devices. The policy should define how the data will be encrypted, whether on laptops or mobile phones. The policy should include a statement that mandates strong encryption on all mobile devices that can store data. It should also define how your IT department will enforce it using centrally managed encryption solutions, as opposed to entirely relying on your team to ensure the data is encrypted by themselves.
  • Proper mobile device connectivity: It is likely that the devices used to access your data will connect to several networks that are out of control of your organization’s IT department. Hence, the policy should dictate that any mobile device used for business purposes must use an encrypted network connection at all times to protect your data.
  • Assigning responsibility: the policy must make clear the responsibilities of your employees towards safeguarding your data. This includes the mobile devices that your IT department supports and the employee-owned devices that your company allows.

Use Mobile Device Management Tools

Mobile device management tools are useful in enforcing the “bring your own device” policy in your company. The tools provide over-the-air distribution of data, applications, and configuration settings for different types of mobile devices used in accomplishing your company’s work. MDM tools are used to manage laptops, smartphones, tablets, and portable printers, etc. There is an excellent guide that tells you everything you need to know about mobile device management, including what it is and some of the core features. Well, mobile device management tools will help secure your business in various ways, including:

  • Improving IT productivity
  • Mobile device inventory management
  • Enhance security compliance by enforcing encryption, handling configurations, wiping stolen devices

Generally speaking, the right MDM tools will help you reap the benefits that come with BYOD without worrying much about your systems’ security. Some of the benefits include:

  • Happier and more satisfied employees
  • Reduced cost of buying and managing equipment
  • Reduced office space as your employees can now work remotely.
  • The decreased burden on your IT staff, as employees will rarely need assistance since they are using their own devices.

Educate your team on cybersecurity

You must enlighten your employees on mobile security best practices that are useful for preventing data breaches. Your team should be trained on how to:

  • Protect devices: the team should be instructed and guided to follow proper storage and access policies. They should also be instructed not to leave devices unattended in places like offices, restaurants, airports, etc. They should also be trained on how to identify common attacks.
  • Encrypt data: your team should be made aware of ways to handle sensitive business data. Train them on ways to protect these data. They should also be aware of the repercussions should they fail to uphold the standards. This will ensure that they take the security of your company data as an individual initiative.
  • Manage passwords: weak passwords are the avenues that hackers mostly use to gain access to your systems. Train your employees on how to create strong passwords that cannot be easily guessed by third parties.

Final thoughts

Technology has made it possible for businesses to lower costs and optimize functions. Trends like BYOD are a great way of enhancing your business’s success, but only if they are done right. Remember, your data and systems are now at risk of costly cyberattacks. That’s why businesses always have to protect mobile devices.