Which mobile gadgets are the favorite productivity tools of your enterprise’s employees? How many different platforms and different wireless networks are involved? The widespread work use of smartphones, tablets, or other unified communications-enabled devices has essentially eliminated any barriers to 24/7 connectivity. Workers can video chat, IM and make VoIP calls from anywhere in the world.

But the security challenges are enormous. These devices and the enterprise mobility software that they use, present unique security challenges as compared to traditional data security. Cloud computing offers flexible ways to deal with wireless LAN technologies across many sites, but comes with a host of security concerns of its own. The explosive growth of various devices is also a problem.

Enterprise Mobility Network

IT is expected to provide service and security to the enterprise’s mobile employees, that is equivalent to what everyone has come to expect in the external wired world. Besides the dynamic mapping of VLANs, etc., there are increased Security challenges. But how do you develop a Security strategy for your enterprise mobility software?

3 Important areas that most CIOs should first focus on:

• • Wireless or RF security,
  • user Security,
  • and visibility & Monitoring.

Paying attention to these three levels of security will ensure security, privacy, and uptime with minimum risk to security and privacy of the corporate network.

Enterprise Security Strategy

Security strategy must be based on the types of association, encryption, and authentication that will be used. Role-based access should be deployed to bind the authentication to the security policy for automated access control to all corporate enterprise mobility software. As a part of this, the CIO must ensure that the visibility and monitoring that are needed to ensure compliance are in place.

However, the biggest security challenge for the CIO is the use of social media. First of all, employees need to be educated on the corporate media policy regarding the rules and behavioral norms expected of them, when using Social Media. However, security issues also come from sources that look trustworthy. Enterprise mobility software must accommodate all legitimate needs to discourage the temptation to try or use non-approved external software in addition to or instead of officially sanctioned enterprise mobility software or approved commercial apps. According to the Wall Street Journal, Computer-security experts uncovered more than 50 malicious apps that were being distributed from Google’s Android Market in 2011.

UC applications also have a place as part of one’s Enterprise mobility software and security strategy. UC can help maintain enterprise security over untrusted networks (like the Internet) and yet still ensure that employees who need to assess collaborative social applications with external parties do not introduce undue risk, alongside cloud-based applications that are being accessed in line with corporate information security policies.

The best thing is to only install applications from trusted name-brand that have a vested interest in offering secure software to their device owners. Warn employees to avoid accessing Wi-Fi hot spots, where Information can be easily captured by someone outside the system. Have employees patch their devices with the updated manufacturer’s software regularly. Finally, as employees add new pads/tablet computers to the enterprise mobility software, CIOs and their IT teams need to be aware of vulnerabilities (e.g., poor privacy functions) that occur, even with well-known brand name gadgets.

Explore More

• • Leveraging Cloud To Invite Big Data And Mobility
  • Security in the World of Mobility, the Cloud, and Social Media
  • Financial Mobility Trends and Plans for the Future
  • Merging Telemedicine and Healthcare Mobility
  • Leveraging Mobility to Achieve ‘Wellness Care’
  • Mobility Enabled Government Transformation
  • 4 Solutions to meet Mobility’s full potential
  • Is Mobility Improving Healthcare Delivery?
  • Should You Outsource Your Enterprise Mobility?