Secure Your Company’s Data Anywhere with Mobile Device Management
Everyone likes a good story, so let’s start with a dream scenario: Every morning your company’s sales team hits the road armed with a mobile arsenal of phones, tablets, and laptops. No longer tethered to the office, they’re free to focus on cultivating leads and delivering exceptional service to existing clients. They quickly become your company’s most effective CRM tool. Instead of logging hundreds of time-sucking miles a day between the office and appointments, they efficiently use public hotspots and Wi-Fi to upload orders, send RFPs and share sales reports. Your CFO is beaming. “More face time and remote work are sending productivity and orders through the roof!” he tells you. “The supply chain is humming. Revenues are way up. Clients are 100% satisfied. We are unstoppable.”
Sweet dream, right? Now let’s wake up to the ugly downside of unplugging. Sharing data over public networks leaves your company more vulnerable than ever to hacks, thefts, and breaches. Just one compromised email can leak proprietary information or reveal clients to competitors. One device enrolled in MS Exchange can experience a total wipe of all personal and business data.
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If you’re not controlling what’s transmitted and to whom, you might as well send Evites to hackers. They know you’re vulnerable, and they will steal your data.
How can you fight back? With Mobile Device Management, programs that proactively control mobile devices and maintain data security outside the server room. It’s a dream solution that enables you to capitalize on mobile’s rewards while limiting the risk.
Multiple Threats to Your Data
On a typical workday most employees use three or four devices to perform their jobs. If you allow “bring your own device” (BYOD), they’re likely using a mix of their own and company-issued hardware.
The concept is an economic winner, but a data-security loser. Consider these stats: In a recent survey*, 55% of respondents say they keep confidential business documents on their personal mobile device; 51% say they have not taken steps to protect their data; and 68% say they have shared passwords across personal and work accounts.
Numerous threats also lie within devices and apps. Malware is prevalent on mobile operating systems, particularly Android. Many third-party apps downloaded through Play have malicious content. Keyloggers – surveillance software/spyware that tracks keystrokes – can capture any information typed on a keyboard and store it in an encrypted file. Spear phishing, which attaches malicious content to emails, is designed to bypass installed filters.
Download our free Disaster Recovery Checklist here to assess your company’s ability to recover if your data security has been compromised.
Mobile Device Management = More Robust Data Security
Mobile Device Management (MDM) keeps your data in the vault without constraining your employees or slowing down your business. It can include device encryption, platform-specific policies, SD card encryption, geo-location, connectivity profiles, and more. These tools enable you to control what programs and apps users install, the types of content they access, and the networks to which they connect. Centrally managing these key functions can effectively monitor usage, negate the risks of tag-along malware in third-party apps, and ensure that file-sharing occurs only on secured networks.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed by Mobile Device Management
Concerned mobility could be compromising your company’s data? Managed IT Services from Advance can provide expertise and a comprehensive IT strategy inclusive of mobile device management.
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