There’s a security problem in enterprise mobility.
Don’t believe us? Just ask other organizations trying to address security. According to a global survey of 900 IT decision makers by Gemalto, 95% of IT departments are battling with security challenges in their attempt to increase user mobility within their organization.
And then there are the lists. You don’t have to look far to see that security concerns are top of mind for IT leaders trying to increase enterprise mobility adoption. Security is one of the biggest concerns for businesses when it comes to deploying an enterprise mobility solution. Law in many places will soon hold companies accountable for protection of mobile data. And on and on.
Clearly, enterprises know that security is important. But at the same time, they’re struggling to find a solution that addresses all of their concerns.
Where’s the disconnect? The trouble right now isn’t getting stakeholders to understand how important security is. We’re already there. Rather, it’s the way most organizations are approaching security. MDM, which has grown in popularity over the past few years, mainly because it’s been around for longer than other mobility solutions, provides security at the device level. It’s also how many organizations are trying to tackle mobile security today.
That sounds good in practice, but in reality, the lines aren’t so clear. Can, or should, an enterprise secure a device it doesn’t own? If not, are no external devices permitted? Is securing the whole device really the right solution to ensuring that data from one or two apps stays where it should? What type of MDM solution is needed to keep devices on multiple platforms secure?
In today’s complex, BYOD world, MDM seems to raise a lot more questions than it answers. It’s a clunky solution at best—the digital equivalent of a 10,000 pound anvil when what’s needed is a precise piece of machinery. Yes, it’s an approach to security, but it’s only one of many approaches a company can take to protect its data. And increasingly, it seems like it’s the wrong one.
So yes: there is a security problem in enterprise mobility. But it’s not impossible to solve.
Using the right tools will enable your organization to significantly mitigate security threats. When MDM was the only solution around, it made sense as a way to secure data. Now that more nuanced solutions like MAM exist, it’s no wonder that organizations attempting to use MDM as their only path towards secure enterprise mobility are feeling frustrated.
