Mobile Device Security: is your Network and Intellectual Property safe?

With the explosion of mobile devices, businesses should not overlook the very important aspect of device security and organisational remote access risk. The rapid development of technology has left many businesses gasping for breath as they strive to keep pace with new demands and developments and in many cases the issue of security has not caught up.

Most organisations will now be rolling out more sophisticated devices or “smartphones” which effectively act  as mini computers. These devices can contain sensitive contact and business data that is used in the field and additionally increasingly remote access into an company’s central computer system for matters such as stock availability, order updates etc.

What happens when one of these devices is lost or stolen or indeed if subject to a virus attack or infection?

1. Is access secure, if so how easy would it be to crack passwords etc?

2. Is the device protected with antivirus and firewall software for the same reasons as the main corporate network; if not the corporate network may be at risk.

3. Are you able to track your devices and monitor the use to which they are being put eg social networking, other non business-productive use ?

4. Does the business have the ability to remotely wipe the device to protect sensitive business data and prevent access to unauthorised users?

Simply put every organisation, no matter how small, must have a policy and tools that protect it from unauthorised access and also unpredicted costs from misuse. The cost of not following some simple practices could be very significant in terms of direct damage to the business and its intellectual property. Even at the smaller end of the scale it may not be that cost prohibitive, indeed there are some excellent free tools already available such as “mylookout.com” for example, which can provide some basic (and even more sophisitcated like tracking) safeguards.

There is no “one size fits all”; solutions and product selection should only be made after careful examination and critical analysis of an organisation’s requirements and operational processes which will all differ. Neither is the matter a static one off examination. Mobility security should be as much an endemic business process as other computer based security.

Please note the writer does not endorse any particular products which are mentioned in this article.