Going Mobile in the Public Sector: How to Keep Data Safe

By: Absolute Editorial Team | 9/27/2013

How is the public sector protecting mobile data? I recently answered this question in a post on The Information Daily, examining the benefits and risks that come alongside a paperless environment.

When data moves from being physically bound - on network, on paper, on solid storage devices - to virtual and mobile to any device endorsed to access it, all of these endpoints become a potential security breach. With reported incidents of data breaches increasing by 1,609% in local government over the past 5 years, and an influx of new mobile devices hitting the public sector, we're likely to see these figures steadily increase.

So, how should the public sector protect itself against these threats while still embracing trends that offer substantial benefits, such as BYOD? It is important to look first at the main areas of potential threats and analyzing how they specifically affect this industry. Areas include:

Recognizing the increased risks of working remotely
Why strict guidelines are not the answer
Enabling employees to use their devices in the ways they want, but with secure options
Setting up remote device tracking, even for BYOD devices
Setting up device management that requires the least employee involvement possible
The security threats to consider with apps
The management of multiple device types
Having a system that triggers alerts to potential threats automatically

Much of the benefits of mobile technology can be harnessed to improve efficiency in the public sector and improve the overall citizen experience. In order to facilitate the adoption of mobile technology, the public sector needs to set up a BYOD policy and technologies that facilitate easy management and security of the endpoint and the data these devices contain.

Read more of my insights on this topic here. For more on our solutions for state and local governments for the management and security of the endpoint, read here.