Tips for creating a more secure mobile workforce

We live and work in an on-the-go world. IDG Communications likens it to an age of ‘super mobility’, one where mobile devices now provide all the tools and technology employees need to be productive, independent of a single location.

However, while workplace mobility offers much needed flexibility and convenience for today’s diverse workforce, it comes with it’s own set of security hiccups.

What are some data breach commonalities?

With workplace mobility on the rise, organisation are increasingly having to rely on individual employee actions to remain secure.

Devices are under security pressure from harmful agents like never before. In Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, it found:

• 81 per cent of breaches leveraged either stolen or weak passwords.
• 62 per cent of breaches featured hacking.
• 51 per cent of breaches involved malware.

Despite the ever-increasing threat of malicious data breaching, why are some organisation yet to make it a priority? With workplace mobility on the rise, organisations are increasingly having to rely on individual employee actions to remain secure outside of the office. According to Verizon, the most common reasons for a lax approach to data security are organisations believing they’ve got the basics covered (when they don’t), people failing to set strong passwords, and the reliance on the mentality of “that’s just how we’ve always done it”. 

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— Imagetext (@ImagetextNZ) July 3, 2017

Practical tips to keeping your mobile workforce secure

In the face of workplace mobility and BYOD, Symantec offer these practical tips when it comes to securing mobile devices:

1. Add extra security layers to your wireless network. Steps such as downloading an encryption app can protect any and all communications that go through an employees mobile device.
2. Arm mobile devices with a pin or password. Not to be taken for granted, a pin or password is the first line of defense should a mobile phone carrying sensitive information fall into the wrong hands.
3. Scrutinise app permissions. Many users don’t actively examine what access permissions their installed apps have, says Symantec, so it’s simple for malicious app developers to gain access to features like location data. Educate employees on denying unnecessary information access to apps.
4. Lost it? Lock it, then wipe it. Setting processes in place to remotely lock, or even wipe phones carrying sensitive data that have been lost or stolen will prevent anyone gaining access to that information.
5. Update. Every time. Data security and cybercrimminals are playing an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse. Having employees update their workplace mobile devices whenever an update becomes available to ensure that they are armed with the latest security technology.
6. Educate. Simple yet effective, educating employees on best practice will leave them less vulnerable to exploitation.

To find out more, reach out to the team at Imagetext Integrated Solutions who can help set your business straight when it comes to mobile workforce security.