Mexico. We constantly hear about enterprise mobility and its many benefits, but are there risks? Yes, there are risks that are key to consider when starting a mobility strategy in the company. Mobilizing the workforce is much more complex than just handing them mobile devices or allowing them to use their own; it goes much further.
According to IDC, in Mexico, 31% of companies mobilize up to 50% of their employees and 51% of companies mobilize between 11% and 49% of their staff. In turn, there is a growth of coworking spaces. That is, many workers are no longer in the company office. Therefore, given the growth of this trend, we propose to analyze what risks exist and how they can be mitigated and even resolved in order to design a successful mobility strategy from end to end:
1. The "b-side" of devices: Today employees access corporate information from different devices, both company and own. This creates a more complex environment to manage in terms of security. In this context, companies must adopt consistent security policies, capable of addressing the needs and weaknesses of a large number of different devices, platforms and operating systems. They should also adopt mobile device management (MDM) tools that allow them to separate personal data from corporate data that coexists on the same device.
2. The network is not a minor detail: The mobile workforce does not sit still. Employees have access to corporate systems 24/7 from anywhere using any network connectivity solution, including public Wi-Fi networks. Do you really want your corporate data to be an open book for hackers by streaming on an unprotected Wi-Fi network? To avoid this, it is a good practice to ensure that any connection to the company's VPN or cloud services requires certifications to access and encrypt data as it travels to/from endpoints. It is also essential to block devices and/or applications that do not comply with corporate security policies or that are not authorized.
3. Loss, theft and damage: Mobile devices are lost, broken and also stolen (1,670 cell phones per day are stolen in Mexico, according to the National Telecommunications Association (ANATEL)). That this happens implies the possibility that anyone accesses our information, that the data is lost or that even the company's computer systems are damaged. Multi-factor authentication on devices is an essential requirement for employees to access their corporate data, also encrypt all data in transit, and protect all transactions with security certificates. Finally, it is important that all devices are protected by data erasing systems remotely, as provided by the MDM software.
4. Where is the corporate information?: With so many different devices being used in organizations, it can be extremely difficult to keep track of all the data. However, the costs of losing data, for example, of customers can be very high. In this regard, data loss prevention is critical. This may involve setting policies on how to access information, avoiding copying and pasting content, or avoiding being able to store information on external hardware and without control.
5. How to ensure safe employee behavior: Today the company faces security risks across every endpoint. But, without a doubt, the user is the weakest link of online security on any platform. That's why the best defense for any company is an educated workforce. Explaining the risks to which information is exposed and sharing security and information measures to prevent data loss is critical. The company can count on policies and technology to be safer, but by engaging employees and conveying safe behaviors, risk can be further reduced.
Technology is definitely an ally to combine the benefits of more flexible work modalities with the security and policy compliance needs that every organization has. That is why implementing a business mobility strategy cannot be a decision made overnight, it has to be the result of a joint work between the different departments of the company, which follows a concrete strategy supported by technology that reduces and eliminates risks.
Text written by Ali Garcia, Country Manager of Orange Business Services for Mexico
