Mobile devices do bring great utility in terms of convenience and allowing individuals to be “online all the time.” Organizations have widely deployed mobile devices for accessing resources and greater workforce productivity. However, the use of mobile devices for communicating and for sharing data create inherent security issues and add more points of access to the network. Mobile malware threats are certainly growing and a significant security concern with mobile devices is the loss of the device.
Additional risks related to mobile devices are personal devices being used in the workplace and authentication of the user. The National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) publication “Guidelines for Managing the Security of Mobile Devices in the Enterprise” (SP 800-124) outlines a number of items for organizations to follow.