In today’s world, mobile is integrated into every facet of our lives - at home, at school and at work. It has largely influenced the way in which we complete daily tasks, communicate with one another, and search for information. Mobile technologies have created the ability for us to be continuously informed and connected to everything happening around the globe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have created a mobile lifestyle that blurs the distinction between the lines separating our business lives from our personal lives. The use of mobile has become the new norm with individuals wanting access to the hottest devices and the latest apps but what does this mean for businesses from a mobile security standpoint?
As an intern for the SAP Mobile Secure product team, I have been immersed in topics pertaining to securing a mobile enterprise. Through my exposure to all of our great mobile security resources, I quickly understood enterprise mobility management’s key role as an essential element in managing and securing today’s corporate data. It is critical for any mobile enterprise to ensure the appropriate security measures are in place to capitalize on the returns of a mobile workforce. In order to ensure valuable business content is secure, consider implementing an end to end mobile security strategy addressing today’s top mobile vulnerabilities including: devices, applications and content.
Securing Mobile Devices
As a student, I am never found on campus carrying less than two mobile devices. Over time, mobile devices have developed into a staple we require to operate. However, each time we carry one of these devices, we run the risk of them being lost or stolen. Around campus we commonly hear of cases of missing devices and the impact the owner feels after losing all of the information stored on their device.
The same concept applies within a business. On average, each employee carries 3.5 mobile devices with him or her daily. This poses a major threat to enterprise security as business information is contained on these devices. There is no way to prevent these mobile devices from being lost or stolen however; a mobile device management (MDM) solution can help safeguard valuable enterprise data. With a MDM solution, you can easily manage personally owned (BYOD) as well as corporate liable devices, which permit device flexibility for employees and cost savings for the enterprise. Security features and compliance policies such as remote wipe, certificate management, VPN, and more will help secure your enterprises in a large or small-scale mobile device deployment.
Securing Mobile Applications
As students, mobile applications have become integrated into our everyday lives. We have apps installed for Facebook, Twitter and Skype to keep us connected. We also have apps to take notes or participate in class and help to keep track of our assignments. If there is an app that helps to make our lives easier we will use it.
With the large number of apps being developed in today’s mobile world, it is important to address app level security as a part of an overall security strategy. With the use of app wrapping technology, mobile apps developed internally or purchased from third parties can be wrapped with additional security policies to make the app secure enough for business use. This also allows companies in highly regulated industries to ensure compliance with industry standards giving them more flexibility. It also allows greater flexibility with BYOD models with the addition of granular app level security acceptable for business within seconds.
Securing Mobile Content
The concept of mobile content management (MCM) is something everyone can relate to and understand. As a commerce student, I am constantly collaborating with my peers on a variety of group projects. With the use of mobile technology, we are able to access these documents at home, at school, anywhere. Whether we are working to write a report or pull together a group presentation, we constantly share documents with one another to complete the task at hand.
Similarly, employees have come to expect on the go access to their business documents where they are able to view, edit, collaborate and share their personal and corporate content. With over 80 percent of employees accessing business content outside of the office in 2012, implementing MCM as a part of an overall mobile security solution is crucial to help ensure the security of your enterprise is not compromised.
The topic of enterprise mobility management is one to which everyone can relate. Whether you are a student or a top manager of a large enterprise, we can all identify and understand the vulnerabilities of today’s mobile environments. With a comprehensive mobile security solution, we can put our minds at ease by protecting the devices, apps and content we now recognize as the norm.
If you are interested in implementing an end-to-end mobile security solution, I encourage you to take a look at our mobile secure resources for everything you need to know about our comprehensive SAP Mobile Secure EMM solution. After all, it’s never too early to secure your enterprise.
