Secure your firm’s mobile devices

Start ups typically take very different approaches to IT security. Some (usually in the IT sector itself) are fanatical about it, while many simply don’t spend a lot of time worrying about the subject.

That’s asking for trouble. If you IT infrastructure is not properly secured, and your data is not properly backed up, you put your business a risk of major disruption.

But while security is on your mind, think about the mobile technology that your company uses – things like smartphones, laptops, tablet computers, even the little flash drive shaped like a surfboard that your account manager uses. Now ask yourself – how secure is all this stuff?

There are numerous potential problems with mobile technology. It can get lost on the train (who hasn’t misplaced a phone), it can be stolen or it can be damaged. The result can be terribly disruptive – a lost contact book in the example of a phone, or lost documents in the example of the misplaced or damaged flash drive.

Here are some questions to think about:

• Are your mobile devices susceptible to malware?
• What company-critical data is stored on mobile devices? How is the data backed up?
• What policies are in place for the security of laptops?
• What procedures do you have in place when a device is lost, stolen or damaged?

As mobile devices become even more common, these questions must be addressed. Get it done – today!