Are You Prepared for Digital and Mobile Risks?
Business no longer happens at a specific place; it’s happening everywhere. Are you prepared for digital and mobile risks? A customer might transact business online while at a grocery store checkout, or at a child’s soccer game, or while waiting to finish cooking dinner. Digital and mobile platforms have blurred the lines between business and home, leaving businesses with some unique challenges, including security risks.
When looking at the risks, it helps to understand the trends and how they might affect your own business.
Here are a few key pieces of information to consider when putting together a plan for managing digital and mobile evolution:
Digital has transformed the workplace. Work is no longer happening “at work”; instead, it’s happening in a variety of locations, some of which face security risks. In fact, 43 percent of employed Americans in a recent survey said they spent at least some time working remotely. As employees shift to working off-site, businesses are left managing the risks. For example, an employee with a stolen laptop can become a million-dollar problem, but if that same employee has safety measures in place, such as programs that lock data safely in the cloud, that risk can be minimized.
The management of devices in a mobile environment has changed. One study showed that two-thirds of business owners and employees use personal mobile devices for work. Yet business security policies haven’t caught up. In fact, 92 percent of respondents in the above-mentioned survey said they keep sensitive corporate data on smartphones and tablets that are used for both work and personal activities. Companies need to put robust security measures in place to keep sensitive data safe, while being realistic about how employees are working and what devices they’re using.
People and policies must be in sync. The first line of defense against security risks is employees. Security policies might be in place, but all is lost without regular training to show employees what those risks look like and how to mitigate them. Employees need to become part of the solution for managing ongoing risks.
It’s important to manage operational risks. Once you get security risks under control, you must also look at potential operational risks. With an increasingly mobile environment, the technology you use must be built for manageability, but also be optimized to ensure that employees and customers have smooth experiences.
Do you need help exploring technology that maximizes security? If so, we can help. Simply contact us online, or call 212-642-0980 today.
