You know how we all love our devices? These days, most of us have a computer, a tablet and a phone… or maybe we use work devices and home devices as one in the same to access work data on a home device and vice versa.
Have you ever accidently left one of your mobile devices in an unsecure area? Maybe on a restaurant table or on a plane seat? I’d like to think that finder would try to find the owner of the device or get it turned into authorities. But, that’s not always the case. The panic can quickly set in when you realize you don’t know where your device is. With access to your email, documents, contacts, etc… your device in the wrong hands can be Why You Need Mobile Device Managementtragic for your business.
How do you keep up on the security of your devices?
As a basic first step, make sure you are using a PIN or password to lock the device! The PIN should be six-digits, and NOT something that could be easily guessed, so do not use 012345 or 777777. Instead use a word method, where you are spelling a word with the letters corresponding with the numbers or a familiar date.
For the password, make it complex such as using your own formula to help you remember your password, play with the vowels; for example, choose a phrase and replace one vowel with another. Also, be sure to use a password manager. It will even generate a password for you, then save it.
A logical second step is to put the tools that are included in your Microsoft Business license to work. As a Microsoft 365 Business subscriber, you have Mobile Device Management available to you.
Mobile Device Management allows you to create and manage device security policies, remotely wipe a device, and view detailed device reports.
Once you have policies set up on the backend, this will affect each licensed Microsoft 365 user in your organization. When they sign into a device with their Microsoft 365 account, they will be promted to enroll that device to MDM. They will need to complete the enrollment and activation steps before they can access Microsoft 365 email and documents. Keep in mind, rather than using the native email app on the device, they will need to use the Outlook app.
MDM is highly customizable and could serve multiple purposes such as:
For starters, allowing employees to use mobile devices on corporate infrastructure also allows them to be more productive by empowering them to work anytime and anyplace.
Should they leave a mobile device in an unsecure location, you have the power to not only locate the device, but also remote wipe that device. You will be able to either wipe only business data or “brick” (wipe) the entire phone. The trick is, once the command is sent, the device has to have an internet/cellular data connections to receive the command.
MDM also provides a conduit for virtual private network (VPN) connections and Remote Desktop Services. VPN is what gives you a secure connection back to your data on a file server. Remote Desktop Services gives you the ability to run an entire desktop or application on centralized servers.
MDM can truly be a life saver and keep your business safe. It is one of the many layers we highly suggest in the fight against cyber crime. If you have questions or you are ready to set up MDM for your company give us a call today and we will be happy to help.
Katie Kremer is a Training and Project Specialist for Office 365, Security Awareness and Nextiva Phone Trainings. Katie has over 15 years of experience in the IT field and a degree in Business Information Systems.
