Our phones are a goldmine of private information. Just think of all of the financial details, personal messages, banking apps, photos and contact information that live behind that screen. 

If your team use phones for work, they will often have access straight into the company systems such as email, contact lists, network access, file systems and more. So, if they are not kept as secure as other devices in your workplace, they can become a gaping hole in your cyber security.

Criminals know this, of course, which is why they target us through our phones just as much as they do through our networks and servers. Cybercrime, however, isn’t the only concern. Just losing your phone or having it stolen can put your data at huge risk.

So, whether you issue company smartphones, or your employees use their own, you should make sure everyone implements some simple security steps to protect your data and avoid disaster.

Start with making sure your people set up a PIN and a biometric login (like a fingerprint or face scan) to open the device. Only install apps from trusted sources to make sure you are using genuine software and enable Mult-Factor Authentication on all apps that store even a small amount of sensitive data.

Be careful about where you connect to Wi-Fi. If you work remotely or often connect to public networks, consider using a VPN – a Virtual Private Network – to add another layer of security. You never know who is monitoring traffic on a public network.

Finally, ALWAYS make sure your phone is running the latest version of its operating software, and keep all apps up to date. Smartphones have changed a lot about the way we live – at home and at work – but it is too easy to take them for granted. This could be a very costly mistake.

If you would like any help or advice on how to keep your smartphones safe, get in touch, we would love to help!

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.