With data security breaches in the news, it’s a reminder that mobile data security is always evolving, and no protection is ever foolproof. Use it as your wake-up call to strengthen your mobile data security posture as we start the New Year.
The topic of data security never fails to give CIOs sleepless nights. And the business value of implementing strong mobile data security initiatives cannot be overstated as the fallout of handling a data breach can be substantial and long term. As the recent cases making the headlines highlight, even companies that have comprehensive data security measures in place may be in breach of other data privacy regulations by holding on to customer information for too long.
In terms of mobile data security, the notion of zero trust continues to gain momentum. As the name suggests, zero trust is based on the concept that nothing can be trusted using a never-trust, always-verify principle. This means no users or devices gain access to your company’s network and data without continuous verification – safeguarding network security and helping deflect cyber threats to stay ahead of data breaches. This is a significant step up from traditional security techniques that authenticate and determine trust for users at the network’s edge and allow entrance to those who meet the criteria.
As we wrote in previous blogs here and here, these days, it’s critical to secure access for your people regardless of their location, device or network, so identity must be used as the foundation for security.
Mobile data security wake-up call
When revisiting your company’s security posture, a good place to start is by asking five simple questions that will help you identify security vulnerabilities:
- Are your people fully trained to understand and apply data security laws and regulations related to their work that impacts the company’s security?
- Are your people aware of the steps they should take to ensure company issued and BYOD are secured at all times?
- Can your people send confidential data to an unsecured location in the cloud?
- Can your people sidestep your company’s security policies to simplify tasks?
- Are your people’s devices fully patched and upgraded to the latest versions?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions or got the wrong answer to any of them, it’s essential to wrest back control and put plans in place to remediate the gaps in your mobile data security strategy. Start by identifying exactly what your people should be able to do on their devices and what you need to know about users, devices, networks, and apps before you grant them access to corporate resources.
Always consider best practices, which include:
- Ensuring users only have access to the business tools they need which prevents hyper-privileged accounts being exploited to attack large numbers of systems
- Deploying endpoint protection across all devices using a cloud-based security solution to protect against the broad spectrum of cyber threats and usage risks
- Using a security solution that minimises external cyber threats such as phishing, man-in-the-middle attacks, malware
- Limiting access to address the threat vectors that are appropriate to your business while respecting the privacy of your end users.
Free Download: Enterprise Mobility Security
If you’re interested in adopting zero trust practices, please get in touch with the team from imei. And to explore enterprise mobility security in more detail and learn more about what you can do to secure your enterprise, download our explainer, A CEO's Guide to Mobile Data Security.
