While your Bring Your Own Device policy leaves the choice of smartphone or tablet to your employees, it isn’t safe to leave mobile security up to them. You need mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) to ensure that the mobile devices and applications your employees use for work don’t endanger company data.

Mobile devices can be targeted through vulnerabilities in communication protocols and networks, vulnerabilities in operating systems and browsers, and vulnerabilities arising from uninformed end users. Comprehensive mobile security needs to address threats that arise from the device, the operating system, malware, apps, and the network. Look for protection that ensures devices aren’t “jailbroken” or “rooted”, forces secure connectivity to corporate servers through VPN, and enforces good basic security practices.

Mobile Device Management

Mobile device management tools focus on controlling the endpoint devices themselves. Using MDM, you can control which devices and operating systems are able to connect to your network. You can also enforce device-related policies such as requiring the use of screen locks and passwords, enforce encryption, and remotely wipe devices if they are lost or stolen. Mobile device management requires an agent to be installed on the device, so requires your employees’ cooperation. Employees should also be informed of the risk of losing their personal data if the device needs to be wiped after being lost.

Mobile Application Management

Mobile application management goes beyond the device-level controls of MDM to provide control over the applications run on the device. With MAM, you can enable single sign-on integration, limit VPN connectivity to specific apps, and require apps to update before they are allowed to connect. MAM enables your IT team to create a wrapped version of an app that enforces all your relevant policies.

Mobile User Management

Managing employees who use their own mobile devices is also an important facet of mobile security. Use of personal mobile devices isn’t a right; it’s a privilege. Document your BYOD policy and have users acknowledge their responsibilities before enabling their devices on your network. Provide training to ensure users understand the risks of using free Wi-Fi and teach them to recognize phishing attempts. Be prepared to disable access for employees with devices that are too old to support the latest security patches.

Prescient Solutions offers mobile support services to manage your mobility challenges from provisioning through end user support. Our expert team can help you define your BYOD policy and implement MDM and MAM to enforce it. Contact Prescient Solutions to make your mobile devices a secure part of your computing infrastructure.