How to keep your company’s phones and tablets safe and secure

When creating a business, there are countless things that you have to consider. However, one thing that should be considered a priority is the security of your electronic devices. In the modern world, most startups are going to require computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and unfortunately, all of these electronic devices are susceptible to security breaches.

From ensuring your phones/tablets are physically stored and secured in a safe spot to putting things in place to protect them from cyber-attacks, we are going to run through five key tips all related to device safety and protection. Regardless of whether you are a new business owner or someone who is looking for new ways to improve your existing business, these tips will be of use to you.

How to keep your company’s phones and tablets safe and secure – Five top tips

Set up a tricky password

For many people, this one is an absolute no-brainer, however, you will be surprised by how many business owners out there still don’t have password protection on their phones and tablets. Setting them up is easy enough and can be accessed via the settings app on your device, regardless of whether you are on iOS or Android.

Picking any old password isn’t good enough, though. And gone are the days where you should be picking a word or phrase that means something to you – these are easily guessed. Instead, use a password generator online to create an impossible-to-guess password. This type of password is going to be hard to memorise so write it down somewhere safe until you learn it.

Accept the possibility of theft

There is always the chance that your phones and/or tablets are going to be stolen at some point. The key, therefore, is making them unreachable when/if they are taken. You can do this by doing all of the following things:

• Set up a tracker so that you can locate the device after it has been stolen. This will help with device recovery.
• Set up a system where you can remotely lock access to devices. This will prevent any unauthorised individuals from using your device.
• Set up a system where you can remotely erase all data on a device. This will prevent anyone from being able to steal key data from your stolen device(s).
• Set up a data backup system. This will ensure you can retrieve any lost data if your devices are stolen.

Ensure all devices are updated

All of your company’s phones and tablets need to be updated to their latest version at all times. Out-of-date operating systems are not only more glitchy and annoying but they are also easier to hack for cyber criminals.

The easiest way to ensure all smartphones and devices are up-to-date is to set them up so all updates take place automatically as soon as they are available. Once your devices are no longer powerful enough to download the latest updates, it means that you need to invest in new ones to ensure they are protected.

Ensure all apps are updated

Mobile phones and tablets are only as useful as the apps you download onto them. In all likelihood, there will be several apps that are essential to the running of your startup. All apps on all your devices must be updated regularly as the reason for these updates is often because of security loopholes that need patching.

Like with your phone/tablet’s operating system, you can a system up where apps are updated automatically. On iOS devices, this can be done via the App Store and via Android devices, this can be done via the Google Store. If you find that a particular app is very buggy, then get rid of it as this is often a sign of weakness.

Be wise with connectivity

Only ever connect to the internet using a secured wi-fi connection that you trust. While in the current hybrid working world, it might be tempting to use an open hotspot in a cafe or restaurant, refrain from doing this is as this can be an invitation to cyber criminals to attack your phone or tablet.

If you don’t have access to a secured wi-fi connection then use your mobile data and use that as a hotspot. If the connection is weak then move elsewhere – it isn’t worth the risk.