Mobile devices are ideal for traveling employees and those who like to stay in the loop after hours. They’ve created more opportunities for convenience and work efficiency.

But, there is no room for debate: conventional risks are only half the battle when employees have company-issued mobile phones. Mobile devices are a massive, growing threat to maintaining corporate security. They’ve created more opportunities for cybercriminals to track locations, access contact lists, read emails and steal documents.

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Do you know if your documents are secure? Have you ever stopped to think about the security measures in place in your business? Would you be more cautious if you knew that an estimated 90% of public Wi-Fi hotspots have inadequate security?

The Scary Truth about Cyber Threats

A report recently published by McAfee and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that cybercrime costs businesses $445 billion worldwide.

According to McAfee’s Quarterly Report, the number of mobile malware infections rose 8% in the last quarter. This raises total mobile malware growth to 61% over the past four quarters.

Also, take into consideration that the number of mobile device security attacks against Android phones recently quadrupled in a single year. Security threats will only continue to grow in both size and frequency as the number of devices grows as well.

Now that you know the truth, how can you actually avoid falling victim to these threats?

8 Tips for Securing Mobile Devices

Randolph P. Johnston, executive vice president of the Network Management Group, offers some advice for upping security of your mobile devices.

To learn more about each of Johnston’s tips, read the full Securing Remote Devices article.

1. Don’t trust too much in virtual private networks (VPNs).
2. Require personal identification numbers (PINs) or swipe codes on all mobile technologies.
3. Have an auditor, owner or senior manager review audit trail reports periodically.
4. Require an owner or senior manager to review detective reports periodically.
5. Limit the number of vendors that can be paid from remote devices.
6. Conduct physical inventory at least once a year.
7. Scrub customer, vendor and employee databases annually.
8. Keep accounting systems current and up to date.

Bonus Tip: Mobile Device Management

Reserve the right to monitor online activity with a mobile device policy.

Spyware and malware are sneaky and malicious. You’ll never know you’ve been targeted until it’s too late. That’s why cyber-security policies are always a good idea.

According to Janette Levey Frisch, the EmpLAWyerologist, a company should “at least have a policy in which it reserves its rights to monitor activity on work mobile devices and also on company computers”.

A mobile device policy can influence online behavior, steering employees down a safer path of internet surfing. By acknowledging the company’s right to monitor activity, employees are less likely to download shady applications or wind up on unsecure websites.

As for how to do actual monitoring, Levey Frisch notes that “there are different programs available to monitor such use remotely, and companies should speak with an IT professional to determine what type of program would be most appropriate for them to use.”