Businesses
are going mobile one way or the other. Employees prefer to carry their personal
modern mobile devices such as Smartphones and Tablets to work because of their
ease of use and availability. On the other hand, enterprises introduce
corporate owned mobile devices to gain pre-established security as in the
desktop era. In either case it is evident that these modern devices have
changed the personal lives of people in many ways from storing and sharing
photos, personal information, social media networking and more. So, people wanted
to use the mobile technology
that transformed their personal lives in the work place. So also, enterprises
visualize many benefits of leveraging mobility into their businesses like the increase
in employee productivity, satisfaction, responsiveness, rapid reach of
information and more. Employees feel more content with the freedom to use the
mobile devices of their choice. Also, with the greater degree of ownership and
personal finance involved, they take time to maintain their beloved gadgets.
Mobile
users are of two groups: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) users and Company Owned
Personally Enabled (COPE) device users. Consumers of either group are driving
and adopting technology at a faster rate than the enterprises which is termed
as Consumerization of IT. This trend presents both challenges and opportunities
for enterprises. A reasonable usage policy by the implementation of Mobile Device Management (MDM)
solution helps the enterprises to avail most of the opportunities such as
optimizing support cost, reducing business risks and administering corporate
policies and procedures at ease and to avoid the potential pitfalls of proprietary
information leakage & loss, network security threat and more. On the other
hand, below is the list of do’s and don’ts that will help the employees to enjoy
the benefits of safe use of personally owned and personally enabled devices at work.
Download Apps from
Known Source: Refrain from downloading apps from unknown
sources rather than procuring them from official websites.
Review the Apps: Even before downloading
the apps from the official websites, read the reviews to know the general opinion
of the apps.
Permissions: Be vigilant while
granting permissions to install apps in your mobile devices
Safe Browsing Habits: Adopt a keen watch
over the web surfing activities. The dangers that exist on the web can also
exploit the mobile devices.
Phishing SMS or VM: Do not respond to
questionable voicemail or text unless you call the institution directly and
verify the information.
Password Authentication: Use standard password
protection methods such as PIN numbers and automatically generated pass codes
to enhance the physical security of the mobile device. Enhance device security that minimizes the
threat of losing personal information such as stored logins to banking and
social media sites.
VPN Access: Use SSL VPN access
to secure the session while accessing the corporate network resources using
smartphones.
WiFi Hotspot Security: Almost all the
modern devices are equipped with WiFi functionality. Avoid accessing the
password protected websites such as banking or social media sites while
connected to insecure WiFi hotspots when in a tea shop or in an airport
terminal.
Remote Wipe &
Encryption: Enable
encryption, remote wipe facilities on mobile devices to protect data in the
event a device is lost or stolen.
Use Security Apps: Consider to buy
robust security apps available in the market for mobile devices.
Update: Always keep the mobile device operating systems and
software up-to-date.
To
conclude, the employees in an enterprise gain the power of personal computers, when
they use these hand-held devices such as the Smartphones and Tablets for their
day-to-day tasks, but smarter and secured usage will help them to keep their
personal and corporate data from out of the reach to other third party or
external attacks.
By-Emma Watson
By-Emma Watson
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