It could be as simple as a smart phone dropping out of a CEO’s pocket. From there, countless pieces of data fall from a pants pocket into the wrong hands.
With that in mind, companies need to secure network access and have the proper procedures in place to secure their mobile workforce, industry insiders said at the RSA Conference in early February.
Businesses should have a policy determining what data should be mobile and utilize encryption and other security measures–such as allowing data to be wiped remotely – on mobile devices, said Ron Pon, a senior security architect at Nortel. Pon and Kim Edwards, also from Nortel, offered their advice on best business practices to a room full of attendees at the conference.
Pon said companies should periodically check their policies to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest technologies. Strong authentication procedures are also vital, said Edwards, as is controlling just what is downloaded onto computers connected to the network. Company officials can block downloads all together or simply restrict them to certain applications deemed trustworthy, he said.
But equally as important are the behaviors of the employees themselves.
“It’s very important that when you plug in a device you know where it is coming from,” said Edwards, also a senior security architect at Nortel.
Read the full story on Baseline: Companies Should Secure Mobile Workforce, Analysts Say
