Are enough enterprises considering mobile security?

 

Mobile platforms are now everywhere. The vast majority of people have a smartphone strapped to their hip as if it were an umbilical cord, while the tablet is vastly outpacing the outdated, static personal computer.

What does this mean for enterprises? Well, essentially, they have to keep up with the trend. Research collated by AT&T surmised that mobility is not just a novel idea, or even a tactical move, it’s an absolute requirement for progressive companies.

The mobile advantage

Mobile is more than just a platform. It’s playing an active role in making the business world smaller geographically, while allowing companies to expand like never before. Many multi-national enterprises have employees displaced across the world and the glue that holds a lot of them together is mobility.

AT&T found that mobility is bettering myriad business processes and is having a knock-on, positive effect on everything from productivity to responsiveness.

So, while it’s clear that mobility should be considered a key cog in the enterprise machine in line with any strategic planning processes, what’s the catch?

The question of security

Well, as research from Gartner highlighted, mobile security can be an issue, as many nefarious parties see it as a potential point of weakness.

“There are two main causes of data loss on mobile devices: physical device loss and misuse of apps,” explained research director at Gartner Dionisio Zumerle. Consequently, information regulation is a must.

While one of the benefits of mobility is the fact that it can turn any workforce global, this also presents one of its potential weaknesses. More people, in more locations across myriad networks have access to sensitive information.

In the past, it was much easier for enterprises to ensure that the vast majority of sensitive information stayed absolutely internal. Now, that just isn’t the case.

Building a defense

Working on a mobile security strategy doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does involve getting everyone on the same page. Forbes contributor and CEO of IT advisory firm Creative Breakthroughs Steve Barone explained that there are five core steps to creating a thorough mobile security strategy.

Perhaps most notably is the ability to create and devise employee protocols. In short, if an organization’s people buy into mobile security, then keeping the enterprise secure will be that much easier.

Naturally, there are parallels here with any strategy plan: Ensuring that everyone knows the aims and how they can contribute is a crucial step.

Ultimately, mobile isn’t going to go away any time soon. In fact, its rise to prominence and use as an enterprise tool is likely to continue. Businesses need to dive in and follow the trend to get ahead, but having more than a glancing eye on security is the best way forward.