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Hi there. My name is Mariah Perry, and I am an intern on SAP’s Global Product Marketing Team. I am currently in my fourth year of university, studying English and Business with a specialization in Digital Arts Communication. I am pleased to be sharing my first – but not last – SCN blog with you.

I was born into a generation that quite literally had the Internet at their fingertips. Between sharing updates on social media to messaging friends, mobile has been part of my day-to-day life since I was old enough to own a cell phone. As someone hard-wired to share content on a mobile device, it was something that I did unconsciously and freely. However, until my internship at SAP I did not know much about enterprise mobility or mobile security. My internship has fostered an understanding of enterprises’ need to deliver safe and secure content on mobile devices, especially in a Bring Your Own Device world. Today, I would like to share the top three things I have learned while piecing together mobile security.

1. Be your own detective

In a workforce equipped for BYOD, do you know where your data is being used? According to Enterprise Mobility for Dummies, only 12% of employees have signed any kind of usage or security agreement with respect to personal devices in the workplace (1). That leaves 88% of the mobile workforce susceptible to how their data is being used. Why is this? Global VP of SAP Mobile Secure Senthil Krishnapillai explains that traditionally, people only associate security with devices. However, the expansion of BYOD now supports mobile app security and content security as well. One must be aware of – and adopt – all of these elements in order to stay on top of mobile security.

The other critical component of being your own detective is understanding where your data is coming from. Is it on premise or in cloud? The massive adoption of cloud cannot be ignored, especially in terms of mobile security. Krishnapillai articulates the benefit of providing security as a service in the cloud, stating that the lack of manual upgrades to existing infrastructure not only increases speed but makes the businesses more secure. For an enterprise, investigating the benefits of mobile security in the cloud is an extremely worthwhile task.

Watch the video with Senthil Krishnapillai now.

2. Don’t be afraid to adopt and evolve

During my time at SAP, I have learned change happens constantly – whether it is the coffee in the lunchroom or the latest technology trends, nothing it static. In such a fast-paced environment, the best advice I can give is: don’t be afraid to adopt and change. Mobile security illustrates this concept well. As I mentioned before, when a company thinks about security, they typically think of securing the mobile device, which is a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. However, for companies facing stricter industry security requirements, extra protection is required. Right now, there is a need for companies to further secure their applications.  Milja Gillespie, Director of Marketing for Mobile Secure, explains that mobile app protection, or app wrapping, can provide these capabilities. App wrapping is a great example of why it is important to grow and adapt. This solution opens new doors for enterprises and their customers. For example, enterprises can now deploy a secure application  on an unsecured device, particularly that of a customer or partner. With app wrapping, the future of security is full of possibilities. Since it became available 6 months ago, Gillespie says the solution has had “fantastic interest and uptake.” It seems they are taking my advice!

Watch the video with Milja Gillespie now.

3. Collaboration is Key

Fundamental to my role at SAP is collaboration. Every day, I collaborate on a global scale in order to complete my work. On any given project, I am sharing information and content with my team members spanning time zones and countries. Working in such an environment has taught me that employees need the ability to access personal and corporate content at any time. Matt Carrier, Senior Product Manager for Mobile Security, addresses the question at the heart of the mobile workforce: How do I collaborate within teams securely? The answer is simple: the right solution needs to be in place. The new version of SAP Mobile Documents allows teams to edit documents in a secure space, leading to increased productivity. A good product’s security must be virtually unnoticeable for employees to collaborate, which is what SAP Mobile Docs excels at. When pressed with a deadline, I do not have to worry about the security requirements before clicking send.

Watch the video with Matt Carrier now.

If you are interested in learning more about how mobile security can work for your enterprise, attend Milja Gillespie’s seminar in Toronto, Canada. Here are the details:

Mobile Security Seminar

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Registration: 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

Seminar: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

SAP Offices at 4120 Yonge St. Toronto, ON

Connected to TTC subway at York Mills station, paid parking available for $14/day

Register here.

1 Coad, Carolyn, Tom Badgett, and Corey Sandler. Enterprise Mobility for Dummies. 2 ed. Mississauga: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 2013.