10 Key Factors to Consider in order to Secure Enterprise Mobility

The advent of mobile devices and its wide acceptance among enterprises has revolutionised the way employees communicate and work today. Mobile devices in the form of smartphones and tablets are widely used by employees and even encouraged by employers to increase productivity and responsiveness. While this trend has transformed the way work is being done in enterprises today, on the other hand, it is pushing enterprise owners to think over the question – how to secure enterprise mobility.

According to Gartner, almost 11.6 million mobile devices are being infected at any given time by some malicious code due to lack of security measures and proper awareness. With rapid rise in the adoption of bring your own device (BYOD) policy and considerable use of apps, there has been a spurt in the number of mobile cyber security attacks.

1. Enterprise mobility goal

As the first fundamental step toward mobility, an organization should define what exactly its enterprise mobility goal is and what it wants to achieve with it. Consider aspects such as how to improve productivity with mobility, what should be the top-line initiatives and what freedom of device usage.

2. BYOD policy

It’s imperative for an organization to define its bring your own device (BYOD) policy right in the beginning. BYOD policies can’t be same for every organization, so consider factors such as how employees should protect their devices, the type of apps that can be used on personal devices etc.

3. Approval for devices

The organization should have a clear-cut guideline in terms of device freedom and choice for its employees. The employees and the top management must have a clear understanding about the governance and security issues related to different devices.

4. Eligibility criteria for device use

The organization needs to decide who will be mobile-enabled, whether it should be the sales executives, the IT personals, or every employee. Consider the security concerns thoroughly, if every employee is allowed to mobile devices indiscriminately.

5. Choice of mobile apps

Mobile apps play a decisive role in any enterprise mobility strategy. An organization has to be clear about the type of apps it would allow within the organisation. The IT department has to evaluate and determine whether it should be business automation apps, ERP apps, or any custom apps.

6. Mobile apps security

Once, the choice of mobile apps has been finalized, the next step would be to have an app security plan in place. The IT team should have the right tools and expertise to restrict mobile apps, no matter who is using and the type of device path used.

7. Security concerns

The IT team has to play a key role in ensuring that security issues don’t become a major roadblock in the organization’s mobility initiative. The team should be equipped and capable enough to handle rogue devices, unauthenticated users, and non-compliant mobile apps on the network.

8. Data leakage

Employees should be perfectly aware about the amount of data they can access and the consequences of data loss, as part of the data security policy. The organization has to be equipped and prepared with concrete plans to avert loss of sensitive data via mobile devices at any time.

9. Device loss

The IT department should be prepared with a course of action to deal with loss or theft of mobile devices. In case of sudden device lost or theft, the IT team should immediately remove sensitive data. In case of an employee leaving the organization, corporate data has to be removed carefully, leaving personal content intact.

10. Mobile strategy

The organization’s mobile strategy should be in line with the laws and regulations of foreign countries, where it operates or has customers. The mobile strategy must adhere to the data security policies that are being followed in those regions.

We have created a framework that you can use to streamline your security policies and avoid any unexpected or unauthorized loss of data, so you can focus entirely on maximizing the ROI of your enterprise mobility strategy.