ENTERPRISE MOBILE SECURITY: Rising mobile security threats, increased adoption of BYO policies, and how enterprises can balance productivity and security
BI Intelligence
Employees are increasingly using their mobile devices to complete work tasks remotely — whether their employer wants them to or not. Mobile devices allow employees to answer emails, schedule meetings, and complete other tasks on the go.
Though this practice is great for productivity, it could expose enterprise data and applications that are stored on employees' devices to hackers. We expect mobile workers — employees who use mobile devices in their work — to comprise 72% of the US workforce in 2021, up from 65% in 2016.
In a report from BI Intelligence, we examine the rising security threats from employee use of mobile devices. We also detail the policies that enterprises can implement to provide secure access to company information through employees' mobile devices, as well as the challenges in enforcing these policies. Lastly, we explain different types of solutions and offer best practices that can help enterprises keep their networks and data secure amid rising enterprise mobility activity.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
- Enterprise mobility is on the rise. We expect mobile workers to comprise 72% of the US workforce in 2021.
- The number of malicious programs launched by hackers to target mobile is rising exponentially, and malware targeting mobile is becoming more sophisticated.
- Despite the security risks, companies are increasingly moving to Bring Your Own (BYO) device and app strategies for employees. These strategies improve employee satisfaction, but complicate enterprise security.
- Enterprises are still struggling with several basic challenges in securely implementing BYO policies. Companies need to allow employees a fair amount of flexibility in how they use mobile devices for work so they don't bypass basic company security policies.
- Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions provide tools for monitoring employee devices or apps and ensuring that enterprise data can't be stolen off a device.
- Aside from using software management tools, implementing best practices can also make BYO policies much less risky from a security standpoint. Enterprises should train employees about cybersecurity threats and gather early input from security teams.
- In the future, the data that enterprise mobile applications will access will increasingly reside in the cloud.
In full, the report:
- Looks at the most common channels for spear phishing attacks against employees.
- Examines the enterprise strategies governing employees' ownership and use of their own devices for work purposes.
- Discusses the top major security and management challenges related to Bring Your Own practices.
- Explains the Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) technologies organizations are using to manage employees’ mobile devices and how those devices access enterprise IT networks and data.
- Highlights the best security practices for companies when putting BYO policies in place.
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