Smartphone Security

There was a time when only an IT professional was able to configure a smartphone into the enterprise network and grant it access to services such as email. Today, that's just not the case. Just about any tech-savvy employee can run to the local wireless store, buy a smartphone, and have it configured to receive his company email. This should keep you up at night!

There's no arguing against the power of smartphones. Whether it is a BlackBerry, an iPhone or a Palm Treo they are great for increasing productivity and can help busy professionals stay in touch no matter where they are. Smartphones are slowly becoming an enterprisenecessity, but they also can expose your business to a multitude of threats. Simply put, smartphones are backdoors for hackers and your competition, giving them access to your network. The good news is there are ways to protect both authorized and unauthorized smartphones.

Those employees who purchase smartphones and configure them to access the company email are your biggest threat. They aren’t intentionally trying to cause harm to the business, but they are putting your computer network at risk, none the less.

Smartphone Security Basics

While there are security tools to help minimize the risks; the end user also has to hold some responsibility for securing their device. Here are a few hard and fast rules to live by:

Always connect via VPN. Using a Wi-Fi hotspot at Starbucks or another open public network is looking for trouble. Using VPNs that require users to authenticate and connect through secure tunnels protects the data in transit. Security programs can be used to block Wi-Fi networks.

Make Strong Passwords Mandatory. Using a password to access your email or files is a drag, but it's an easy way to prevent people from breaking in, or accessing the company data in the event that the phone is lost. Provided the password is a strong password!

• Enforce passwords that include a number and a capital letter.
  
  
• Have users change passwords every 30 or 60 days.
  
  
• Make sure the device is set to engage the password for log on or sign on after a period of inactivity. Set it at a reasonable time, such as 5 minutes.

Block Removable Storage. Mass storage in the form of memory cards is cheap and easy to remove from an unattended smartphone. Security tools can be used to prevent even authorized users from downloading files or data to removable storage. You can also enforce encryption on removable storage if it is necessary that employees be able to transfer files back and forth.

With these tools in place, securing your enterprise from the threat of mobile devices is manageable. Combined with the company-wide policies, employee education, there's no reason why smartphones should leave the back door open to the hackers.