Our free e-newsletter reviews best practices in risk management.
Have you ever left your laptop computer unattended - in a coffee shop, a hotel room,
a car or while talking on the telephone?
Mobile devices can store vast amounts of sensitive personal, company and client information that must be kept secure...
Vast amounts of sensitive information – including personal, company and client information – is stored on mobile devices. If you or a member of your staff leaves a mobile device behind in a cab or a hotel room, or if one is stolen, you or your firm could be at the beginning of a string of costly consequences.
To appreciate how serious the problem could become for your firm, consider that laws such as California SB 1386 (and similar laws recently introduced in 35 states), require companies to notify individuals whose private information may have been compromised. Plus, companies that violate industry mandates like HIPAA and GLBA face the threat of fines or jail time.
As always, planning ahead is the best safeguard.
Develop a mobile device security protocol. By recognizing the risks that can result from a lost or stolen mobile device, your firm will have taken the first step in a process leading to the development of a mobile device security protocol. This protocol should anticipate all the ways a mobile device might be lost or stolen, and include detailed instructions on how to guard against such occurrences. Protocol should also specify which company and client information should not be stored on mobile devices. If any information absolutely, positively, without exception cannot be shared outside your firm, it probably shouldn’t be stored on a mobile device.
Should a device be lost or stolen, protocol should name who in your company should be contacted and when – as a rule of thumb, the “when” should be immediately. Of course, this protocol should be circulated among affected staff. Designate it as must reading. By planning ahead, the need for damage control will be significantly diminished.
Minimize the risk of a lost or stolen mobile device. Even with a robust mobile device security protocol in place, there are bound to be instances in which a mobile device is either lost or stolen. To guard against this nearly certain eventuality all devices should be password-protected. In addition, safeguards should be put into place by encrypting sensitive documents on devices.
Erect secure firewalls. A mobile device doesn’t have to be lost or stolen for valuable information to end up in the wrong hands. The fact that we can logon to the Internet with mobile devices means they are exposed to all the risks faced by your enterprise network, including penetration and theft of confidential information. What’s more, these devices typically also contain log-on scripts, passwords and user credentials that can be used to compromise the company computer network. As a result, a firewall is an essential security requirement for a company using mobile devices.
Install virus protection software. More than 200 mobile viruses have been identified and the list is growing. These viruses can jump from a mobile device to your company network, potentially wreaking havoc on both your business and computer system. To guard against these dangers, virus protection software should be installed on your mobile devices.
To appreciate how serious the problem could become for your firm, consider that laws such as California SB 1386 (and similar laws recently introduced in 35 states), require companies to notify individuals whose private information may have been compromised. Plus, companies that violate industry mandates like HIPAA and GLBA face the threat of fines or jail time.
As always, planning ahead is the best safeguard.
Develop a mobile device security protocol. By recognizing the risks that can result from a lost or stolen mobile device, your firm will have taken the first step in a process leading to the development of a mobile device security protocol. This protocol should anticipate all the ways a mobile device might be lost or stolen, and include detailed instructions on how to guard against such occurrences. Protocol should also specify which company and client information should not be stored on mobile devices. If any information absolutely, positively, without exception cannot be shared outside your firm, it probably shouldn’t be stored on a mobile device.
Should a device be lost or stolen, protocol should name who in your company should be contacted and when – as a rule of thumb, the “when” should be immediately. Of course, this protocol should be circulated among affected staff. Designate it as must reading. By planning ahead, the need for damage control will be significantly diminished.
Minimize the risk of a lost or stolen mobile device. Even with a robust mobile device security protocol in place, there are bound to be instances in which a mobile device is either lost or stolen. To guard against this nearly certain eventuality all devices should be password-protected. In addition, safeguards should be put into place by encrypting sensitive documents on devices.
Erect secure firewalls. A mobile device doesn’t have to be lost or stolen for valuable information to end up in the wrong hands. The fact that we can logon to the Internet with mobile devices means they are exposed to all the risks faced by your enterprise network, including penetration and theft of confidential information. What’s more, these devices typically also contain log-on scripts, passwords and user credentials that can be used to compromise the company computer network. As a result, a firewall is an essential security requirement for a company using mobile devices.
Install virus protection software. More than 200 mobile viruses have been identified and the list is growing. These viruses can jump from a mobile device to your company network, potentially wreaking havoc on both your business and computer system. To guard against these dangers, virus protection software should be installed on your mobile devices.
