How to Safeguard Enterprises from Mobile Security Threats in 2020

While mobile apps have penetrated enterprises of all niches and as using mobile apps for all kinds of workplace tasks have become increasingly common, keeping crucial data out of the reach of the wrong hands has become a significant concern. Maintaining proper rules of data access has been a critical focus area for enterprises. In spite of all the advantages of mobile apps, they are most responsible when it comes to security loopholes and shortcomings.To maintain optimum data security and to safeguard mobile apps from security threats, it is essential to know the key areas with the highest exposure of security threats. Here through the length of this post, we are going to explain the key measures to secure enterprises from emerging mobile security threats.Setting the Standard is Important for SecurityOne of the key principles for strengthening enterprise security is setting the right standard. For mobile security, assessing security risks, and making preparations are more important than combating security threats when they appear. While there is no shortcut to fixing all kinds of security risks and threats, specific measures stand out as most effective.

• First of all, make a thorough assessment of your enterprise IT security and the risks and vulnerabilities posed by mobile apps for your enterprise. The evaluation will consider the sources of security risks such as the mobile devices used by your employees, the people having access to enterprise data, the presence of malicious programs, etc.
• After evaluation, you need to take proactive steps to protect against these threats. Some of the tried and tested measures for this include establishing a policy on device usage such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), a device enrolment policy to keep a watch on the devices in use in the workplace, limiting wi-fi network for use cases, restricting uses of certain applications, etc.
• At the next step, the security experts must establish certain controls and measures that can help in taking faster response measures to deal with security threats. This may include applying a mobile threat detection application and implementing other security threat detection tools and software applications.
• Last but not least of all these measures us about ensuring a speedy recovery if an affected system. Setting up a backup mechanism that constantly keeps backups of crucial enterprise data is a key measure. There should also be proactive measures such as locking down the employee accounts or locking specific data repositories to prevent unwanted access.

Time Tested Measures to Prevent Mobile Security ThreatsCertain security measures can look commonplace, but they are still effective in putting the first security firewall against threats and attacks. Let us have a look at these common yet time-tested measures to strengthen your enterprise app security.

• First of all, keep the security software updated and ready to deal with the latest security threats and vulnerabilities. Only a small number of mobile devices in the market run the latest OS version. There is a minuscule number of users who avail of all the latest updates and security patches of apps from time to time.
• Ensure all employee devices taking part in company processes have a consistent security solution that meets the necessary security requirements. An outdated OS version with backdated security settings should be barred from being used for workplace collaboration.
• Make sure all devices have an active firewall installed to safeguard against digital threats and all kinds of privacy concerns.
• Make sure the devices use apps that are downloaded from official app stores. Make sure the devices use a strong security application running at the backdrop to take care of all security threats.

Preventing Data LeakageData leakage remains to be the most persistent security threat for enterprise mobility in recent times. While you always thought the data breaches are rare, and it happens once among the thousands, slowly, the number of instances of data leakage peaked up and become more common. In recent years, many enterprises have been victims of data leakage thanks to security loopholes in mobile apps.The most important thing about this security threat is that data breaches always don't happen due to malicious attacks. Most of the time, bad decisions and some harmful user practices lead to data breaches of the worst kind. This is why data leakage can often be completely avoided by following some good practices about permitting apps to utilize user information.There are too many factors leading to data leakage and death breaches. There are several harmful and vulnerable practices, such as erroneously putting company information into a public cloud, giving the wrong person access to confidential information, or simply just forwarding an email with sensitive information to the wrong person. All these instances are considered under the purview of accidental disclosure, which has been a critical responsible factor for the vast majority of data leakage in many companies.For such instances of data leakage, using data loss prevention (DLP) tools can be a highly effective measure. This type of software tool is designed and developed to minimize exposure to a sensitive application, and user data, including data, disclosed accidentally in specific scenarios.ConclusionIn all honesty, completely preventing data leakage and other security vulnerabilities in enterprises is a difficult task if you have not used effective software tools and sensitized your workforce about best practices. Hopefully, future enterprises, by keeping these measures in mind, they will be more successful in strengthening mobile security.Author Bio:Juned Ghanchi is a CMO at IndianAppDevelopers IndianAppDevelopers, a company that helps global entrepreneurs with mobility solutions for their business growth. He likes to share his thoughts about software solutions on various blogs and magazines.