By: Brian Egenrieder, CRO at SyncDog
Over the last couple of months, very few things have felt certain. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of people all over the world. The ability to work remotely, once considered a nice option offered by some companies, is now and will continue to be a necessity — that’s for certain.
While terribly disruptive, the pandemic has been an undeniable motivator for digital transformation. As companies of all industries take a look at their future operational norms, more reliance will be placed on the digital landscape for execution. CNN reported on May 1 that COVID-19 is expected to continue spreading “for at least another 18 months to two years.” That’s 18 months to two more years in which stay at home and shelter in place orders could potentially be reimplemented on and off again. Your pre and post-pandemic business operations should look different for this reason.
So how can you prepare your post-pandemic security posture to reflect the continued necessity for remote work? Most companies would respond by thinking they simply need to secure employee’s laptops, but that’s not where security weaknesses and vulnerabilities end. Mobile security needs to be a priority too. Before the pandemic, 68% of people worked remotely at least once per month as it was. Now, more companies will be inclined to make remote work the new norm, or at least offer the option on a more frequent basis.
Due to the demand placed on employees to be responsive at all times, whether typically working remotely or in the office, they conduct work via their phones at all times and in all sorts of places. 51% of people even admit to answering emails and work calls in the bathroom. Securing your team’s mobile devices is not optional. If business is being conducted on their phones, corporate data is vulnerable. Post-pandemic mobile security strategies need to include employee cybersecurity training, device management, and employer-employee security trust measures.
Cybersecurity Safety Training
As a company leader, when you start diving into the world of cybersecurity safety training, one of the most common things you will hear is that humans are always the weakest link. While human error cannot be eradicated, regular training sessions can help reduce risk. In the beginning of 2020, Infosec released a Top 10 Security Awareness Training Topics for Your Employees list which covers everything from basic reminders like not writing down sensitive passwords on a Post-it and leaving it on your desk to how to identify phishing attacks. Make a plan to have bi-annual training sessions, or even quarterly if possible!
Modern Device Management
Mobile device management (MDM) is a commonly used industry term that many companies often mistake for mobile security. While MDM solutions can help administrators deploy certain configurations across devices, there must be additional measures in place to ensure the security of data. Modern device management is thus traditional MDM coupled with security such as encryption and containerization. By using a solution that addresses the need for an elevated version of MDM the mobile security needs of your remote teams will be better met.
Trust and Security
As a society, we cannot trust that a mobile OS is inherently secure. Recently, a vulnerability in the innate iOS Mail app was discovered and new research shows it may have existed for eight years. Leveraging a containerized application in which popular productivity tools, like email apps, are used is the best way to prevent data breaches and loss. The containerized application on employees’ personal devices empowers trust as employers can protect corporate data and employees do not have their personal data and mobile device activities infringed upon.
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SyncDog’s Mobile Trust Platform, Secure.Systems, is an all-in-one solution to mobile security and device management. The encrypted, containerized application protects corporate data stores, accessed, and shared within, while also making device management simple for admins who can make changes remotely, across all or select instances. To learn more, contact us!
