Mobile Devices in Corporate Environments

Mobile computing technology is hardly a recent phenomenon but, with the influx of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers into the workplace, the specter of malicious activity being initiated by or through these devices looms large.  However, generally speaking, an information security toolkit that includes appropriate controls for addressing threats presented by corporate laptops should also be able to deal with company-owned smartphones.   My recommendations for mitigating the risk of mobile devices in your environment include the following:

• Establish a Strong Policy
• Educate Users
• Implement Local Access Controls
• Minimize the Mobile Footprint
• Restrict Connectivity
• Restrict Web Application Functionality
• Assess Mobile Applications
• Encrypt, Encrypt, Encrypt
• Enable Remote Wipe Functionality
• Implement a Mobile Device Management System
• Provide Support for Employee-Owned Devices

For more detailed information, take a look at the white paper that I just put together on the subject: Dealing with Mobile Devices in a Corporate Environment.