How Can Companies Implement Smartphone Security?
Long gone are the days when people used their smartphones just to talk to the other person. With the advancement in technology, mobile phones have turned into networked computers. It is a storage device, a video & sound recorder, and a navigational device. Moreover, it is a photo gallery and a social network hub as well! But no matter how advanced it gets, the device will still primarily be used for calling because how else would you reach out to the provider to subscribe to the Cox customer service.
There is no doubt that smartphones have become really powerful. However, with such advancements comes greater risks. Mobile devices can easily be targeted by malicious actors. Therefore, it is important to pay heed to phone security.
5 Ways for Companies to Secure Your Work Smartphone
Phone security is the practice of protecting your smartphones from a wide range of cyberattacks. There are different ways via which organizations can ensure the safety of your work smartphone. Let’s have a look at some of them.
#1. Make A Clear Mobile Usage Policy
If organizations give work smartphones to their employees, they must include them in the company-wide security policy. The policy should cover everything from anti-theft measures to acceptable usage of the device. This way, the employees would know how they are expected to use their work mobiles.
#2. Segment Apps and Data on Work Devices
You should consider segmenting mobile users into role-based groups, with each having different levels of access privilege. This can minimize the attack surface area if in case one device gets targeted. What’s more? This will prevent the employees from installing unwanted applications that might compromise the device. Many organizations have their own bring your device program or BYOD, which keeps the company devices secure.
#3. Encrypt Visibility into Devices That Are Connected to Company Network
If a mobile device gets stolen or is hacked, all the company’s sensitive information could be stolen. Therefore, companies should think of a way that can prevent malicious users from infiltrating into the system. And encryption is the answer! Companies can take advantage of identity and access management systems along with data protection solutions to better safeguard workplace phones.
#4. Equip Your Smartphone with Security Software
This is the most basic countermeasure. Yet, some companies undermine its importance. If an organization is handing out smartphones to its employees, it must make sure that the devices are equipped with security software. This will only keep the mobiles secured.
#5. Monitor the Behavior
Oftentimes mobile users have no clue how they got their device compromised or how they put themselves at risk. Therefore, monitoring the behavior of employees is important. Doing this can unveil anomalies that can indicate an attack that is currently underway. The organizations should also emphasize automated monitoring as it will turn out to be crucial while making sure that the mobile security policies of your company aren’t infringed.
#6. Provide Training
People are usually accustomed to having consumer-type freedom when it comes to using mobile devices. Therefore, it will be a smart idea if you start providing some awareness to the employees. You should tell them about the corporate security risks and how their irresponsible behavior can cause harm to the company. Thus, a security training program is a perfect solution. The training could cover different topics such as what activities they can perform on their work smartphone. Plus, what practices they should follow to avoid falling prey to cybercriminals.
How to Protect Your Smartphone
Even if the organization is playing its part in securing your smartphone from threats, you should take some steps as well to protect the device yourself. Here are a few tips that you can consider:
#1. Set Up Face Recognition or Fingerprint
People misplace their smartphones ever so often. It’s quite normal. So, what should you do to keep your device safe even when it’s lost? It’s simple. You can use fingerprint or face recognition to protect your mobile device better. This will not allow the other person to have access to your phone.
#2. Use VPN
Using a VPN on your phone device is a must! The reason why you should consider using it is that it connects the device to a private server. It means that you will no longer be using the private network. Your data will be encrypted. And no hacker will be able to gain access to your system.
#3. Enable Encryption
If you want to protect your smartphone more efficiently, then have encryption enabled. The data encryption will safeguard your information from hackers and malicious users. How? Well, it will simply scramble the information in a code, making it unrecognizable for the hackers to decode.
Conclusion
As smartphones are getting more advanced, hackers have started to use more sophisticated ways to target their victims. You have to know that your mobile devices are vulnerable if you don’t take the matter of phone security seriously. The companies can implement all the aforementioned ways to make sure that the workplace devices are safe. At the same time, you should also follow the above-mentioned tips to ensure the safety of your smartphone.