MDM and Biometrics – 2 Tools for Securing Mobile Devices

Giving workers access to information from anywhere isn’t a competitive advantage anymore—it’s an imperative. Mobile workforce solutions have increased flexibility and boosted productivity, and for many organizations, bring your own device (BYOD) has become the de facto option for mobility.

But mobility’s rewards also come with risks. We’ve found that 79 percent of all people who find mobile devices try to unlock them. It’s more than remote security threats that target sedentary work computers with limited information. Today, lost or stolen mobile devices that hold enormous amounts of enterprise data, applications and information have become an ever-growing threat.

Mobile Security Can’t Be an Afterthought

50 percent of the small businesses we’ve spoken to have no mobile strategy in place. Most organizations think a mobile strategy that offers dependability and flexibility is enough. IT decision makers just want their mobility solutions to work. And because security is not an immediate pain point, many organizations procrastinate on adding mobile device management (MDM). As a mobility solution without MDM increases exposure to malicious attacks, the risk of enterprise data and information being hacked or lost is much greater.

Watch Your Mobile Apps

Apps account for 75 percent of mobile device data breaches. Apps let customers, partners, employers and suppliers interact in new ways, and they also add speed and agility throughout an organization’s operations. But with apps come new targets for cybercriminals to attack. Fortunately, securing them is a straightforward process. A good mobility device management plan includes the ability to screen, whitelist and blacklist all applications.

Biometrics Take on Authentication

Technology is everywhere. And so are passwords. With so many devices with passcodes to remember, organizations run the risk of workers using the same passwords to access both personal and enterprise data and information. Enter biometrics, one solution that can help address this concern. Biometric techology allows workforces to use fingerprints and other biological information to serve as passcodes to access devices. This eliminates the use of keystrokes, offering one more way to mitigate malicious mobile device attacks.

Let us help you stay productive and secure. Sign up for a Mobility Consultation to get started on a winning mobility strategy.