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Keross: Mobile Security in the Cloud
February 2010 by Keross
The mobile web has provided virtual office space and location flexibility to both the tech-saavy and tech-newbs. From checking email and conference calls, to Twittering and document sharing, mobile devices have revolutionized the way we do business. Users today are so fascinated by their mobile offices that they have completely ignored (or simply accepted) the fact that most wireless devices. In fact, the information stored on and sent to and from most mobile devices can easily provide hackers with a full access pass to company data if they know how to properly ask the mobile device for it.
Forward thinking businesses have already begun to include vulnerability management by placing corporate mobile devices into the company’s overall technology security plan. Companies worldwide are contracting corporate security policies that include specific protocols for compromised, lost, or stolen devices, protecting the information mobile devices contain, and how to avoid security mishaps such as downloading viruses to mobile equipment. Similar to the position companies were in years ago with the inclusion of personal computers into the workflow, many companies are starting from scratch and assessing the real damage breaches in mobile security could cause.
Unlike desktop machines and server racks, the highly mobile, easily stolen devices often go missing for long spans of time before any security threat is realized. Equally troublesome are the headaches caused by the misplacement of devices that set forth security chain reactions of panic that end instantly once the misplaced devices are found. These false alarms are costly and typically result in time lost canceling accounts, data loss assessments and equipment replacements.
Several options currently exist to minimize the downtime associated with the management of mobile corporate devices. Currently, the most effective vulnerability plans place the emphasis on protecting device data, data loss, and data availability, and minimizes the focus on the equipment loss itself. The most effective addition to any vulnerability management system for mobile devices includes the combination of clouds for remote data storage and monitoring tools on each device providing real-time management through security and network operations centers.
Corporations can easily prevent security breaches by moving forward to protect the devices their employees rely on. Remote data storage, clear security protocols for mobile devices, and the creation of vulnerability management policies are key components proactive corporations are now using to reduce the impact of lost, stolen, or damaged equipment.
