Device Security Nightmare-Busting MDM Features

15 features that will secure your device fleet

Photo by Max Duzij on Unsplash

Devices on the Loose

Over 2,000 UK government-owned devices (laptops and phones), whose replacement would cost approximately GBP 1.3 million annually, were either lost or missing in a year, according to a recent news article. Devices with sensitive data are often well protected. However, all it takes is one unencrypted or compromised device to create a security nightmare. In another incident, a hacker posing as an Uber security team employee bombarded an Uber employee’s personal smartphone (whose stolen credentials the hacker purchased on the dark web) with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) push notifications until the employee eventually approved one, leading to a data breach.

These are just two examples that made the news. The reality is, devices present many mundane, everyday opportunities for security risks. For example, a hospital nurse could lose a tablet with patient information; a device user in an isolated area can damage or lose their rugged device; a financial services professional could misplace their company phone with confidential client data. Public fears, stakeholder concerns, and corporate policies all demand that enterprises and device admins take prompt action to safeguard company assets in these scenarios.

Device security conundrums such as these are why Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms exist and also why their adoption keeps increasing. Impactful MDM security strategies not only manage device security — but they equally prioritize managing a user’s access to a device, its network connections, apps, and data.

We think about device security in three core areas: risk reduction, operational security and efficiency, and the extras. In this blog, we focus on key MDM features under each security area that empower device admins to protect devices, users, and critical data in the event of device loss, theft, and/or misplacement.

Risk Reduction: The Mandatory Basics

The starting point for enforcing strong device and user protection policies.

• Mobile Identity Management (MIM): Manage user identities and access rights centrally using a strong identity management system (in-house or third-party). Enforce a range of authentication mechanisms as required — MFA, Single Sign-On (SSO), biometrics, Fast Identity Online 2 (FIDO 2) security keys, digital certificates.
• Conditional Email Access (CEA): Gatekeep access to corporate devices by ensuring that only devices enrolled in the MDM platform can grant their users access to corporate emails, and information.
• Encryption: Protect sensitive data from unauthorized access by enforcing data encryption on devices
• Remote factory reset, data wipe, and lock: Restore devices to factory settings, erase all device data remotely, and even lock devices remotely when needed.
• Geofencing: Draw virtual boundaries over areas of a map where individuals can use their corporate-owned devices; admins receive an alert when a device moves away from these defined boundaries.

Operational Security and Efficiency: The Device Admin Indispensables

Features that ease day-to-day device management and keep admin teams notified of anything out of the ordinary.

• Wi-Fi allow and block lists: Prevent device users from accessing suspicious networks by creating lists of approved or disapproved Wi-Fi networks that the device will either connect to or block automatically.
• App allow and block lists: Similarly, prevent device users from accessing harmful apps by creating lists with approved or disapproved apps, where downloading the latter will be automatically blocked.
• SIM protection: Configure the triggering of instant notifications when a device user removes its SIM card.
• Device tracking: View device locations in real-time and historical device location data for faster security incident responses.
• Containerization: Separate corporate and personal data, especially on Corporate-Owned Personally-Enabled (COPE) devices.

Even Stronger Security: The Extras

Add-on features that complement the risk reduction and operational efficiency ones.

• Device analytics: View core device data (i.e., usage levels, number of devices in use, disabled devices, security posture, compliance status) in a user-friendly dashboard to gain comprehensive overviews.
• File transfers: Transfer files between devices and central repositories and disable file transfers via USBs for added security.
• VPN configuration: Safeguard remote access to corporate devices by configuring Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) with the necessary permission, PINs, and enrollment requests.
• Browser control: Implement browser restrictions (i.e., app guard settings, HTTP authentication, and proxy screen, smart screen, and kiosk mode settings) for secure browsing.
• Policy scheduling and automation: Automate routine security tasks with scheduled policies, Windows PowerShell scripting, and zero-touch enrollment to reduce manual effort and ensure compliance.

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Protect Devices; Educate Users

Any human interaction with devices carries the probability of human error that can compromise device security. Hackers, too, are becoming more inventive and exploiting loopholes. Device security challenges will persist, especially as device adoption rates and the number of devices keep rising. We can fortunately solve many everyday device security issues before they spiral into something larger and cause real damage to individuals and enterprises. MDM platforms provide a range of features that any enterprise can use to protect devices, users, apps, and data. And these features keep evolving to meet emerging device security challenges.

Of course, these features do not exist in a vacuum. Educating device users about potential device security threats, the proactive measures your enterprise has set up to mitigate these risks, and how they can play their part too is equally important. We provided an overview of 15 features that will enable you to safeguard your device fleet. To learn more about how these features can work in your enterprise, reach out to us here.

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