According to Gigabit, the number of mobile workers will rise to 1.75 billion in the next couple of years. While this is good for business growth, mobile security is keeping decision makers and companies alike up at night.
Gigabit says that security issues are particularly prominent when employees use unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots: “In a recent iPass survey, more than 80 percent of CIOs said they had experienced Wi-Fi related security issues over the last 12 months and almost all agreed that the rise of Bring Your Own Device policies has contributed to these increased mobile risks.”
Instead of having IT teams working on network policies and plugging digital holes in the wake of a breach, Gigabit says companies are looking for other ways to up their mobile security options.
One way that can help businesses keep up with mobile security is by encouraging employees to use corporate VPNs while working remotely. VPNs function as a protective cushion for a mobile workforce, especially when public Wi-Fi is in use. “The benefits of this are clear, as VPNs can help to overcome the issue of using Wi-Fi hotspots in vulnerable public locations, extending a private network over the unsecured internet connections offered in cafés and hotels,” Gigabit says.
Another way companies can keep their networks safe is by banning remote workers from using Wi-Fi hotspots altogether. Enacting a ban can help IT feel like they’ve cut the risk of data breaches; Gigabit says two thirds of CIOs in a recent iPass survey have implemented a hot-spot ban. However, a blanket ban only helps with one type of connectivity issue, and isn’t a realistic long term solution: “while making the decision to limit use of public Wi-Fi hotspots may help in the short-term, it does not promote understanding of the wider security threat.”
Finally, decision makers and companies might opt for a “multi-pronged approach” when considering mobile security. Gigabit says that a multipronged approach helps businesses prepare for the worst and identify key security strategies that won’t decrease mobile security manageability. Plus, decision makers and other team members can learn how to protective themselves remotely, and, ultimately, the company’s data: “enterprises need to educate their workforces on the various threats to their business from open Wi-Fi networks. Only then can users be taught how to identify risky networks and learn best practices to avoid them in the first place.”
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