With the increase of mobile data platforms, the past few years have witnessed an exponential increase in the volume of mobile data traffic. To illustrate, as per The Cisco® Visual Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, globally, mobile data traffic increased by 69 per cent in 2014. As per the report, this figure was a 30-fold increase over the size of the entire global internet in 2000.
Moreover, in 2014, a typical smartphone generated 37 times more mobile data traffic (819 MB per month) than the typical basic-feature cell phone (which generated only 22 MB per month of mobile data traffic). Going forward, mobile data traffic is expected to continue on this upswing, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57 percent from 2014 to 2019 to reach 24.3 Exabyte per month by 2019. Thus, securing mobile data along with an efficient data traffic management has also become a great concern.
Data security remains a challenge
Despite increasing by leaps and bounds, however, a number of challenges remain, especially those pertaining to data security in order to ensure mobile payments security. In fact, an increasing number of companies are permitting employees to use their personal mobile devices for business, which is only compounding the challenge. As per the industry experts, this approach is making sensitive business information — including email and business contacts, customer data and network login credentials — a lot less secure.
Interestingly, industry experts say that the most incidents of mobile devices including spam and phishing contributing to increased number of security breach issues are usually reported by professionals working for telecommunications and transportation businesses on the enterprise communication platform. Conversely, government-related and healthcare companies typically report the fewest incidents.
Tips to keep mobile data safe
Needless to say, securing mobile data along with network security becomes the top priority for any organization. In this context, the following mobile-security-ensuring measures can be taken:
Choose and activate a password for the device’s home screen- as per industry reports, three in 10 mobile device users do not set any passwords. This makes the device vulnerable to data theft. Therefore, an important step in mobile device security is activating the password feature of any device.
Install a mobile security application-The security applications available today often include a plethora of features, such as virus protection, remote lock and erase capabilities, lost-phone finders and privacy protection features that can keep data safe.
Use public Wi-Fi networks with caution-In case a secure connection is unavailable, the customer ought to avoid carrying out financial transactions and not access any websites or corporate resources that require a password.
Data encryption-Encryption is a reliable method to protect an Android or an iOS device. This feature will present the data in the device in an unreadable format until it is decrypted.
Deploying MDM/MAM Technology-These are two different technologies typically deployed by organizations to protect data and smart devices. Mobile Device Management (MDM) ensures enterprises gain complete control over the devices, allows specific policies, remotely locks devices, or even wiped data. Mobile Application Management (MAM) helps enterprises create security layers in the device for their own corporate applications and data. It ensures business-centric applications remain untouched.
Use a firewall-Firewalls assist in blocking dangerous programs, viruses or spyware before they infiltrate an organization’s system. Hardware-based firewalls, like those frequently built into network routers, provide a better level of security.
Regularly update the existing operating system-This includes repairing the gaps in security which may be used by hackers to access confidential data.
