Remote work can mean working from home, operating in a hybrid environment, or simply using mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops to conduct business. And despite the rise of return-to-office initiatives, there’s no denying that remote and hybrid work are here to stay.
The majority of Americans (52%) already work in a hybrid model today, and the percentage of strictly on-site workers has dropped to around 21%. Plus, countless employees rely on mobile devices to get their jobs done every day, making remote work one of the most common operating models among organizations today.
While remote work offers benefits such as improved employee productivity, greater job satisfaction, and reduced office space requirements, it also introduces new security risks. Employees are more likely to connect to unsecured networks, such as public Wi-Fi, or access company data from personal devices without fully understanding the risks in their working environment.
The cybersecurity tools and procedures that once protected traditional office environments are no longer enough on their own. Protecting company data from modern cyberthreats requires organizations to adopt mobile security best practices that account for the realities of remote and hybrid work.
The continued rise in cybercrime has made mobile security more important than ever. In fact, 72% of organizations say their cyber risks have increased over the past year.
Here are several proven ways to help keep your company’s mobile devices secure.
Company laptops, tablets, and smartphones get lost or stolen more often than you might think. Too often, we hear about someone leaving their phone in an Uber, restaurant, or airplane. When that happens, any sensitive information stored on the device could be exposed.
The first step is to ensure that all mobile devices have a screen lock enabled and require a password or PIN to gain access. These devices often contain valuable and confidential company information, so basic authentication is essential.
Most modern devices also offer biometric security options such as Face ID or fingerprint recognition. While these features make devices easier to access, they should not be the only layer of protection. Organizations should also implement multifactor authentication policies for all users to add another layer of security.
Regardless of the method used, every mobile device accessing company data should require proper authentication. This helps ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information and that access is restricted if a device falls into the wrong hands.
Even as many software providers move toward passwordless sign-in, traditional passwords are not disappearing anytime soon. And let’s be honest, most people find them difficult to remember and manage. On top of that, many systems require regular password changes, which can make the process frustrating.
That’s where password managers come in. Think of a password manager as a secure vault that stores all your passwords behind a single master key. Instead of trying to remember dozens of credentials, you only need to remember one strong master password.
Password managers can also generate strong, unique passwords for each account. This helps prevent users from reusing simple passwords, such as a pet’s name or birthday, across multiple systems.
While some platforms, including Microsoft 365, now support passwordless authentication options, passwords still play an important role in protecting sensitive company data. Using a password manager helps ensure those passwords are strong, unique, and securely stored.
Using outdated software significantly increases your organization’s risk of cyberthreats. This risk becomes even greater if your operations rely on end-of-life software that no longer receives security updates. Vendors such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft regularly release updates to address vulnerabilities and improve security.
Don’t ignore those alerts to update your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. To reduce risk, enable automatic software updates on mobile devices whenever possible. Keeping your operating system updated ensures you always have the latest security protections available.
For company-issued laptops, your IT department or IT services provider should regularly push necessary updates. When prompted, take a moment to restart your device so those updates can fully install and take effect.
Although it’s tempting to use free Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, airport, or hotel lobby, doing so can expose your device to significant security risks. Any time you connect to a network hosted by another organization, you increase the chances that your activity could be intercepted by malicious actors.
Many widely available tools allow attackers to monitor traffic flowing across unsecured Wi-Fi networks. This can expose sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, and other private data.
When possible, use your mobile data plan instead of public Wi-Fi to access the internet.
If you absolutely must use a public network, make sure you connect through a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your internet activity, helping prevent cybercriminals from reading your data. However, even with a VPN, public networks should still be used cautiously whenever company data is involved.
Every business should have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy that includes clear procedures for remotely locking or wiping lost devices. If a smartphone, tablet, or laptop is lost or stolen, these tools allow organizations to quickly protect company data by restricting access or removing sensitive information from the device.
In some cases, this can create concerns for employees because BYOD devices are often used for both personal and work activities. A remote wipe could remove personal data along with company information. For this reason, organizations should clearly communicate their policies and ensure employees understand the potential impact before enrolling personal devices for work use.
Most IT security experts consider remote lock and data wipe capabilities a basic and necessary security precaution. When implemented properly and communicated in advance, they help organizations respond quickly when devices go missing and reduce the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands.
Many organizations, especially those with bring-your-own-device policies, can benefit from mobile containerization. This approach separates work-related data, applications, and sessions into a secure workspace that operates independently from personal activity on the device.
Instead of managing the entire device, containerization allows organizations to manage only the work environment. Corporate email, business apps, and company files remain protected, while personal photos, messages, and apps stay private.
This approach creates a balance between security and user privacy. Employees maintain control over their personal device usage, while organizations retain control over the corporate workspace.
Anything within the secure container can be monitored, encrypted, and, if necessary, remotely wiped without affecting personal data. Containerization allows organizations to enforce strong mobile governance without interfering with personal device usage.
Many cloud-based applications and services are accessed from employee-owned mobile devices, which increases the risk of data loss if a device is lost, stolen, or compromised. That’s why backing up your cloud data is essential. Even if a device disappears, you should still be able to recover important business information quickly.
Many cloud platforms maintain version histories that allow you to restore earlier versions of files if they are accidentally modified or deleted. Services such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Dropbox support this functionality.
However, once the retention window expires, deleted files or earlier versions may be permanently removed. To add another layer of protection, many organizations invest in cloud-to-cloud backup solutions that continuously back up critical data and allow recovery beyond the standard retention period.
Mobile security has become a major focus for organizations that support remote and hybrid work. The challenge is allowing employees to access the data and applications they need from mobile devices while still protecting company information from potential threats.
Two technologies commonly used to address this challenge are mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM):
When used together, MDM and MAM provide a strong layer of protection by ensuring that only approved devices and applications can access company systems and data.
Both solutions should be implemented and managed by IT professionals who understand current mobile security best practices. Whether handled internally or by an IT services provider, proper configuration and ongoing management are essential to maintaining a secure mobile environment.
Implementing these best practices for your employees and end users, along with enforcing strong mobile security policies, can go a long way in protecting company data and devices.
However, cybersecurity is not a one-time initiative. As threats continue to evolve, organizations must remain vigilant and regularly review their mobile security practices.
If your organization wants to strengthen its remote security posture, check out our Remote Work Security Checklist for additional steps you can take to help protect remote employees and the systems they rely on.