Use of personal mobile devices for work creates a security challenge for employers.
87% of businesses rely on their employees to use their personal mobile devices to access company apps.
Employees increasingly enjoy the flexibility of work mobility by using devices such as smartphones and tablets rather than being chained to a desktop. This means the security of those personal mobile devices has become a critical part of any company’s network and data security plan.
Bring your own device (BYOD) policies make financial sense for most companies, but it adds another challenging layer to the mobile management dilemma: how to secure company assets during mobile access from an employee-owned personal mobile device.
The Advantages of Using a Mobile Device Management Application
Twin State Technical Services provides a full range of managed IT services to clients throughout the greater Quad-Cities area. One of the questions we’re hearing more often when out in the field is, “How can we secure our staff mobile devices in a way that fits both our needs and respects employee privacy?”
This is exactly what Mobile Device Management (MDM) software addresses. It allows companies to control the corporate assets or apps a smartphone, wearable, or tablet can access without being overly intrusive.
Security Leads Policy
Security is a top concern when it comes to mobile access to company data and networks. Any number of things can happen that cause the potential for unauthorized access and a breach of your network.
Some of the security challenges and risks that come with mobile device access to company files include:
- Devise being lost, stolen, or accidentally left behind
- Employees leaving without notice
- Others having access to the device (such as an employee’s child or spouse)
- Company apps being downloaded on another device without your knowledge
- Using outdated security procedures or unsecured Wi-Fi connections
Mobile Device Management applications give you a powerful way to address security concerns while also providing helpful timesaving features as well. Here are some key ways to can use MDM to get a handle on your staff mobile devices.
Control Access to Company Data
Through a central control panel, you can instantly and remotely grant or revoke access to any company applications on an employee mobile device. This solves the problem of an employee leaving without notice and still having company apps on their device.
Lock or Wipe Data
In the case of a stolen or lost mobile device, you can easily lock the phone so no one can access it (helpful for both your security and that of your employee), and you can also wipe data remotely as well to ensure corporate info doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Require Best Practices
Among your employee policies, create MDM guidelines making your expectations clear about personal device use for work. A basic starting point would include employees’ use of:
- strong passwords
- screen lock
- multi-factor authentication
Faster App Delivery and Updates
Say you’re using a new CRM that includes a mobile app so your team can more efficiently handle incoming customer questions. Deploying the app one-by-one on everyone’s mobile devices can be a time-consuming task. And how do you know apps are being updated regularly?
MDM allows easy deployment of apps from a central dashboard and installs them on employee devices remotely and apply any personal configurations you’re using. Your administrator and also automatically complete updates.
Know Which Devices are Accessing Company Data
Often companies aren’t sure how many different staff devices are employing corporate applications at any given time. This can lead to a nightmare when it comes to trying to enforce cybersecurity and meet compliance requirements.
Using mobile device management allows you to have an automated inventory of any device using any corporate application and provides reporting data on app usage.
Data Backup
What happens to all those site photos and videos your project manager took when his phone breaks or is stolen? If you don’t have a backup system for mobile devices, work-related media could be lost forever.
Using MDS allows you to back up specific pre-set company folders on employee mobile devices to ensure company assets are automatically uploaded to secure cloud storage.
Learn More about a Mobile Device Management Program Today!
If you’d like to make the most of mobile use at work without suffering security problems, Twin State Technical Services can help. We can show you the top Mobile Device Management applications available that fit in smoothly with any BYOD program and can help you keep your data secure.
Contact us today to learn more at 563-441-1504 or through our contact form.
Tags: mobile device management, security