Laptops, iPhones and tablets enable employees to work from anywhere with an internet connection. They make us more productive and efficient.
They’re also a huge security risk.
Why Is Mobile Device Management Important?
Increasing productivity is great. But accessing company information from nearly any mobile device puts your business at risk if it’s not managed correctly.
Mobile devices are susceptible to a range of attacks — malware, network attacks through a malicious or unsecured Wi-Fi network, intercepted calls and texts, key logging and credential theft and phishing.
A study by Dimensional Research found that over a third of companies don’t secure mobile devices, and over half of organizations doubted their organization could prevent a mobile cyber security threat.
But mobile device management is a necessity. Smartphones have surpassed the PC market. Most legacy IT environments and applications aren’t designed to support mobile devices, making them the weakest security links in an organization.
Here are the critical elements of mobile device management policies and how to implement one in your business today.
How to Implement a Mobile Device Management Policy
Mobile device management enables IT and executives to organize and secure access to any mobile device that contains or sends company information. It spans several areas including policy enforcement and management, inventory management, security management and software distribution.
Here’s how to implement a mobile device management policy.
1. Assess Your Mobile Environment
First, you need to know what you have. Assess every mobile device with company information, including laptops, USB devices, smartphones and tablets. If you allow employees to bring their own devices, you need to include personal devices in your policy.
Next, address your business needs. Who needs access to which application? Not every employee needs remote access, and some may require different levels of access than others. Knowing the devices and employee needs will determine your mobile device management policy.
2. Create an MDM Policy
Now it’s time to create your mobile device management policy. Here are key areas MDM should cover and possible solutions.
- Device security: Require lock screen passcodes, secure message platforms and mobile malware detection software.
- Remote management: Erase or lock stolen and missing devices.
- Application control: Control the apps employees can download and which ones to blacklist or disable.
- Reporting: There are several software options to manage mobile devices and security. (Top Helixstorm MDM solutions: VMware AirWatch, Citrix XenMobile, IBM MaaS360 and Microsoft InTune to name a few.) MDM software gives you real-time visibility and reporting including user info, device status, log-in attempts and password policies.
Once you’ve created your MDM policy, review it. Does it address the following:
- Are your devices secure?
- Do the right users have authorized access to company information?
- Is communication between devices secure?
- Can employees securely send emails and files over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
- Can employees download third-party applications? (And are they monitored?)
- Do you have a plan if a device is lost or stolen?
3. Enforce and Improve
Now it’s time to enforce it. Train employees on best practices and how they can use mobile devices for work. Add it to the employee manual for new hires. Create a rollout plan to inform and train employees and implement security measures on current devices.
MDM policies should be reviewed yearly or quarterly to make sure it’s being implemented and enforced at all levels.
Helixstorm Mobile Device Management
Even if you have a mobile device management policy, it requires substantial IT expertise to implement and manage it. If you don’t have the resources to support mobile devices, seek outside assistance.
At Helixstorm, we can help you implement and manage a mobile device management policy that will keep your employees productive and your data safe. Contact us today to learn how.
