Top 4 Mobile Risks for Businesses
The world around us is changing – and the mobile revolution plays an incredibly important role in this. But like with everything else, mobile technology comes with both its advantages and disadvantages as well.
Mobile security risks can be difficult to manage if you don’t pay enough attention – and even more so when these risks are targeted at company data. When you take into consideration the fact that most Gen Y employees are more than tech-savvy and that a majority of them bring their own mobile devices to work, you will realize that it is of the utmost importance that you proactively take measures against the potential mobile security risks.
1. Sharing Too Much
In a world where you can take a photo of everything and send it to whomever you want in a matter of seconds, sharing is a more-than-popular word. According to some recent studies, a lot of young employees do not protect their mobile devices with passwords. Even more, the vast majority of them put security as the fifth criterion in selecting a new device (which actually comes after the brand and the operating system). Under these circumstances, even an employee who leaves his/her unlocked phone in a taxi could pose a risk for your business.
What can you do?
2. Using the Wrong Security Software Applications
This may come without saying for many of you, but using the right security software is absolutely crucial if you want to be 100% certain that no data is being leaked from your company “by accident”.
Sure, a good antivirus can protect your computers from being hacked into. But what is there to do when it comes to the employees’ mobile devices and the way in which they are connected to the data in your company? As mentioned above, the mobile industry is gaining more and more traction with each day that passes by, so you will have to be absolutely sure your employees’ devices do not get attacked in any way.
What can you do?
The key here is making sure that they connect to the company’s network in a way that is as secure as possible. Think of all the ways in which your employees connect to the data in your company’s computers via their mobile devices and try to eliminate any trace of insecurity there.
3. Apps That Are Not Vetted
Surveys show that a lot of companies are more than willing to increase their budgets for the creation of new apps – and that is truly a great idea when it comes to attracting clients closer to your business. However, be aware of the fact that the apps you create for your business should be completely secure.
Google Play has always been more permissible with enterprise apps, especially since it allows users to download apps both from Google Play and from third-party sites too. However, Apple is far more restrictive when it comes to this. As of lately, they have created a way in which companies can distribute their apps to the employees – but many companies bypass the “vetting” process Apple has imposed and thus, they lose security in the process.
What can you do?
4. Not Handling Sessions Properly
Signing into an account or app can also be a risk for your company – or at least it can be if the signing out method is not properly managed. For instance, if an employee signs into an app that provides him/her with important information related to the company’s activity and he forgets to sign out, anyone who has access to his/her mobile device will also have access to this information as well.
What can you do?
If you have provided your employees with a mobile app to help them perform better, make sure you implement proper solutions when it comes to how they sign in (and out) of the apps. To get an idea of how your app should behave, think of how online banking sites and apps build the sign in procedures. For example, some of them will automatically log off if the user has not shown signs of activity in a certain amount of time.
In Conclusion