Mexico. According to Jesús García, Managing Director – Ricoh Mexicana, multinational companies have recently been known to be vulnerable and have been an easy target for the theft of critical data from their customers.
While the extent of the breach is still unclear, this is just the latest in a series of high-profile security incidents at major companies, and a stark reminder of the importance of conducting a thorough audit of your security procedures, especially when reaching out to the vendors handling your critical information.
However, while incidents like these grab headlines, the reality of mobile security is often much more mundane. Instead of obscure figures breaching servers to access encrypted data, today's security challenges are often much closer to home. BYOD policies have opened enterprise networks to a number of new vulnerabilities, and companies must be prepared to respond to these challenges or face potentially devastating consequences.
Here are three things every company should know about mobile security:
Global internet traffic has increased by 21% and mobile traffic by almost 70%, according to a recent IDG survey. With mobile becoming an increasingly popular platform, companies have taken precautions, however, there are still big challenges. For example, 74% of businesses surveyed have experienced a data breach as a result of a mobile security issue, with major current concerns including malware, app-based security vulnerabilities, and unsecured Wi-Fi connections.
Today, mobile devices are still a company's biggest security responsibility. And as a result, 90 percent of respondents said they planned to increase their investments in mobile security over the next year.
It can, and should, make significant investments in enterprise networks to bolster defenses against attacks. However, what makes mobile security so challenging is the fact that with BYOD policies in place, a wide variety of device makes and models, using different OS types and versions, will connect to the same network... from a multitude of places around the world.
This can easily become a recipe for disaster. Employees lose their phones, download infected apps, use weak passwords, visit unsecured websites, click on phishing links in emails, open email attachments, and a host of other things that companies' IT security experts have to attack. Therefore, it is necessary to implement security policies that not only address network security, but also device security and employee education.
Security and business needs are often at odds. The workforce is becoming increasingly mobile, and they need access to critical business information, no matter the time or place. They expect to be able to access this information, share documents, print securely, and collaborate with their coworkers at any time. And for each of these actions, there is a security risk.
This is the direction the new world of work is headed: companies with an empowered mobile workforce are better able to make important business decisions quickly. But without access to critical business information, mobile workers won't be able to keep up, and businesses will suffer as a result.
Mobile security demands a comprehensive approach that considers all potential vulnerabilities, both technology-based and non-technology-based. When considering a partner to help bolster defenses, consider someone who can take on all aspects of mobile security: from your infrastructure to the workforce.
