The enterprise sector’s been experiencing something of a crisis, of late. See, more and more employees have been rejecting the notion of using company-provided devices, and just opting to work on their own smartphones and tablets. And that’s great! More power to them! Trouble is…this is wreaking havoc with data security, as many of these same employees don’t give a lot of thought to keeping their device protected. It simply never occurs to them that there are just as many security threats around for a smartphone as there is for a desktop- perhaps even more.
Likely most IT professionals would sleep a lot easier if all their employees engaged in the practices listed here. Of course, this list isn’t just for employees who use their mobile tech during office hours. This is for pretty much anyone who’s ever owned a tablet, cell phone…even a laptop.
Keep an Eye on your Device
This one should be pretty obvious. Never leave your device unattended for even a few seconds in a public location. Always know where it is on your person, and where you put it if you set it down. The trouble with smartphones and tablets is that they’re terribly expensive little gadgets- and incredibly easy to swipe if you’re not paying attention.
Remote Wipe
Smartphones and tablets don’t just have a list of phone numbers on them anymore. There’s sensitive business data. VPN access codes. Vital personal information and financial details. None of this is stuff you want falling into the wrong hands- which is why remote wipe applications exist. Thankfully, aside from third-party proprietary applications, pretty much every service provider has a means of remotely wiping your mobile device if it gets lost or stolen. Be sure to make use of it, if there’s anything on your phone you don’t want falling into the wrong hands. Most enterprise organizations provide some means of remotely deleting all the data on a lost or stolen mobile, as well.
Watch your Apps
Again, this is just a matter of due diligence, and applies, in particular, to Android users- though anyone who’s jailbroken an iPhone fits the bill here, as well. Long story short, be careful what you download. Don’t download from any suspicious sites, and always do your homework before nabbing an app from the app store. Look into the developer’s history, read the reviews, check for any reports of malware online…you get the idea.
Surf Cautiously
Once again, this should be common sense- but there are plenty of people who seem to believe they’re protected from any nasty viruses simply by virtue of using a cell phone.
They aren’t.
With the take-off of the mobile craze, a lot of cyber criminals are turning their attention to Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7 platforms. They’re developing malware custom-tailored for mobile environments, which are, in truth, even more vulnerable to viruses than PCs- after all, most mobile phones don’t usually come prepackaged with antivirus software. Basically…exercise common sense in your browsing practices.
Only Go to Certified Techs
Don’t take your phone to some guy who offers to repair it for fifty bucks in a back alley. Find out who the certified technicians for your particular brand or model are, and go to one of them. Sure, it might cost you a little more…but you don’t want to risk any of your personal files or data.
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