How You Can Ensure Mobile Security in Your Organization?

A majority of IT firms today allow Bring your own device (BYOD) due to the consumerization of IT in the modern workplace. That the mobile phone has become a can’t-do-without in today’s life is a reality that cannot be ignored. When employees are given the choice of using their own consumer-based devices in the workplace, it is imperative to counter theft and move towards ensuring security and control. Recent surveys underscore the seriousness of the problem data pointing out that four out of 10 businesses being affected by a security breach.

Well, Mobile security actually begins with protecting the actual mobile device. Today, a plethora of apps exist to prevent data theft on case a mobile has been stolen. It is also possible to track down the device with iPhone’s having special apps to track them.  But what do businesses actually do when faced with security issues?

1. Maintain and control security settings in one central location. It is important to never rely on devices that allow the user to make security decisions. It would also help if organizations require enforceable access control on all mobile devices i.e. users should not be able to disable the access control that IT has put in place.

2. Always use two-step authentication for devices and apps where possible. This makes it necessary to provide both a password and additional information such as a code sent to an email address in case the device is lost or stolen.

3. Have regular Consultations with various departments such as finance, HR and legal departments about their needs. This is because your mobile device policy doesn’t affect just the IT department.

4. Establishing cloud-based servers or URL filters for websites that are either blocked by the company or known to be malicious. This precaution will help to protect the endpoint by not allowing an employee to visit websites that could compromise security.

5. Frame a policy for mobile devices depending on your requirements and the company’s exposure to risk. Although BYOD has now more or less become the norm, it does pose a higher risk than policies such as choose your own device (CYOD) and corporate-owned, personally enabled (COPE) which may be more appropriate.

Dos and Don’ts in Making Android Apps

Everyone loves a good Android app. So you want to make it. But what is that you must keep in mind when you develop it? And what should you avoid or rather keep away from? These are some of the questions that we seek to an in this article. So, here are the Android app developer tips:

•DO keep the user in mind when you design your app. Most developers make the mistake of developing their apps solely based on what they think would work and not how others will actually use it. And it's not hard to find out what the end user would feel. You can conduct surveys for instance, do beta testing or have your app checked by an app review blog. 

• DO incorporate integration and scalability in your app. Extensibility must necessarily be taken into consideration in the app's design, particularly if you’re making the first version. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked since many mobile apps nowadays are developed under a short time period to take advantage of a current trends or preferences. But shorn of scalability, this could lead too much re-configuring if a new functionality were released.

• DO take care when you make colour choices. Android phones are today capable of displaying a wide variety of colours, but this doesn’t mean that you choose any colour. Remember that Android phones are designed to be used just about anywhere, so your app's design should incorporate colours that work in environments with different lighting and displays.

• DON'T stick to a single screen size. It’s not advisable. Android platform is used in different types of mobile devices, so designing your app around a specific screen size will not properly scale in other screen sizes. Therefore make sure you have given some thought on your app’s look on different Android devices.

• DON'T design with a specific form factor. An Android developer who designs an app that is touch screen-specific , for example, will have a tough time integrating it to Android phones which use navigation controls rather than a touch screen. You need to visualize how your app would work across different Android devices and ensure you leave enough room for other form factors.

• DON'T do too much. You should give up trying to make your app do everything. Instead, concentrate on specific uses and match those with an intuitive user interface. You will find many success stories in the Android developer community who built apps with a specific focus. And they succeeded because they were good at doing just that one thing.