Mobile security: Is your organization truly protected?

Sponsored By: Samsung

Despite organizations’ efforts to implement the latest, innovative tech tools, security threats to mobile devices remain be a growing priority. According to Canadian IT and security professionals, mobile devices appear to pose some of the largest threats that a company’s IT department has to manage.

Companies aren’t protecting their mobile devices as well as they do with other technology systems. Many are even failing to take basic precautions, resulting in exposure to a greater risk of downtime and potentially significant damage to their reputations. In a survey conducted by Statistics Canada on cybersecurity and cybercrime challenges faced by Canadian businesses in 2017, more than one-fifth (21%) reported that they were impacted by cybersecurity threats which affected their overall operations.

“As the threats increase, it’s essential that businesses continuously work to bridge major gaps in security,” said Paul Edwards, Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Mobility at Samsung Electronics Canada. “Organizations need to introduce solutions where the device provides the foundation, supported by appropriate device management policies, to mitigate the latest cybersecurity threats.”

Separates business and personal use on one device

Although organizations worry about various external cybersecurity threats, they’re should also be concerned about the security of their employees’ devices. Many employees use their smart phones to access corporate data and systems, as well as their own personal applications. The lines between personal and workspace can become even more blurred in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment. Indeed, Statistics Canada reports that two-thirds of businesses allowed their employees to use personal devices for business-related activities in 2017. Many of those organizations, especially small businesses, didn’t have any security measures in place to manage the use of personal devices.

Security breaches can happen when staff members, whether inadvertently or not, click on malicious links, install unauthorized apps, use public Wi-Fi or lose their phones. Samsung Knox can help prevent issues that can occur when employees use their phones for work and personal needs. The platform isolates and stores business data separately from personal data, allowing employees to work the way they want to. If the device is compromised, the workspace is locked. Similarly, administrators can track devices and shut down or wipe the data from a device that’s lost or stolen. This solution allows employees to carry around one device, simplifying communication in both their work and personal lives.

With Samsung Knox, the business data is encrypted on the device and in transit. The Knox VPN framework includes an advanced enterprise-focused feature set, which helps ensure that VPN connections are efficient, reliable, secure, and compliant with industry regulations and best practices.

Real-time protection against malicious threats

Smartphone users are three times more likely to click on a phishing link on their devices than on a desktop. Smaller screen sizes that display less information, and the multi-tasking approach to smartphone use are partly responsible for this. Statistic Canada’s research shows 65 per cent of Canadian businesses reported that they believed an external party was responsible for the cybersecurity incidents they experienced, which includes scams and fraud (e.g. financial fraud, phishing) and malicious software (e.g. viruses, adware and ransomware) .

It’s essential for organizations to have the ability to quickly detect mobile threats, much as they do on fixed systems. The multi-layered Samsung Knox platform constantly verifies the integrity of devices through a chain of security checks on the hardware and down to the operating system to help protect against intrusion, malware, and threats that are more malicious. Knox’s patented Real-time Kernel Protection (RKP) protects your operating system from kernel attacks by monitoring and preventing unauthorized modifications and attacks that might otherwise cripple a mobile device.

A comprehensive and balanced approach to mobile security

Companies need to put certain measures in place across the whole security cycle for mobile in the same way that they do for other IT systems. The Samsung Knox platform is the cornerstone of a strong mobile security strategy, which includes sensible device management policies, and open communication with team members about new cybersecurity threats.

Samsung Knox makes it easy for organizations to manage employee mobile devices in a secure and efficient manner, whether they have ten employees or tens of thousands. Through Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) systems, IT administrators can use a web console to centrally and remotely manage devices over-the-air.

By securely allowing both personal and business use on one device, Samsung Knox strikes the right balance between helping to ensure data security and enabling productivity across the workforce. It helps maximize the value that mobile provides by accelerating decision-making and collaboration remotely.

Learn more by visiting the Samsung Knox website.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Sponsored By: Samsung

Cindy Baker
Cindy Baker
Cindy Baker has over 20 years of experience in IT-related fields in the public and private sectors, as a lawyer and strategic advisor. She is a former broadcast journalist, currently working as a consultant, freelance writer and editor.