While we often talk about the risk associated with hackers and other cybercriminals, your end users are likely your biggest security risk when it comes down to it. Work-from-home policies have led to an incredible increase in mobile device usage, and a recent survey points out that smartphone usage increases mobile employee productivity by 34%. Yet, as always, with benefits come risks, and in this case, it's cybersecurity.
More than ever before, companies are tasked with managing employees and data remotely. While 87% of companies rely on their employees' ability to access their mobile business apps from personal devices, at the same time, companies must also ensure the integrity of their mobile device management, mobile application management, and endpoint management protocols. Each of these directly impacts your end-users and comes with associated end-user management tasks. Here are some lessons learned from your friendly neighborhood CrucialLogics HyperCare Consultants along the way:
Our HyperCare communication with end-users is as much about device setup and troubleshooting as it is about assuring them that the company is not accessing their personal data on devices. In fact, endpoint and mobile device management systems have come to the point where we can easily separate personal data from company data. When these systems have been properly put in place, there is no need to worry about the company having access to personal files like text messages, photos, or videos.
Separating personal and company data is also in the company's best interest. From a corporate liability standpoint, companies do not want to be responsible for their users' personal information. So, when implementing any MDM protocols, CrucialLogics' HyperCare ensures that both personal and company data are kept separate and safe.
Good mobile application management means that employees have access to the latest applications they need, and the management of devices is remote and requires minimal administrative action after deployment. When properly deployed, it also ensures all company data will go through a specific set of applications. This is another way to ensure the separation of company and personal data, as all company data is controlled within company applications.
Restricting how and where company data can be copied and shared can sometimes cause end-user frustration. For example, whereas in the past, an employee may have been able to receive a company Word file on their phone and copy data out of it into their personal email or into a personal note, our HyperCare mobile app management will restrict that in most cases, so that company data stays within company apps.
While this may force end-users to rethink how they share information, keeping applications separate is good for employees. This means that the company will not have access to any of its personal apps, such as dating or messaging apps. This separation not only protects employees' privacy but can also help them achieve and maintain that much sought-after work-life balance. For example, they can keep work emails separate and switch off alerts after hours when they don't want to be disturbed.
Overall, it is important for companies to be able to control where their data resides and not have it floating around on devices, especially when employees leave. With good mobile application management, your HyperCare Consultant will know exactly where the data is and who has access to it at all times.
Endpoint management ensures all endpoints and the data within them are properly secured and controlled. It's like MDM for computers vs. mobile devices. There are more controls put in place on endpoints, however, than on phones because a corporate endpoint is solely a corporately owned device.
With endpoint management, one of the more common user issues is simply not saving documents. For example, if an employee was working on a report and their cat walked across the keyboard, shutting it down before saving it, our HyperCare team would get a call. Without good endpoint management, most or all of that data would have been lost. However, part of proper endpoint management is automatically synchronizing data from the desktop and documents folders and saving them in the cloud so that "the cat ate my homework" is never an issue.
A key challenge we often face with endpoint management is educating users to separate their work and personal lives on their computers. It's about helping them understand that a working system given to them by the company and managed by the company is meant for work, not for editing their kids' videos or trying to access questionable websites.
No system is perfect, however, and our HyperCare team has certainly dealt with instances where an employee needed access to a blocked site. In fact, one employee was trying to order some Liquor Store gift cards for clients, but they were locked out of the site because it was classified under "drug and alcohol." Some rules were made to be broken, and in this case, we unlocked the site so the employees' clients could enjoy a happier holiday. HyperCare is often about simply knowing the company and making the right judgment calls.
When managing all devices, we make sure we understand and make decisions based on the culture of the company. For example, some companies encourage employees to see their laptops as a job perk meant for both work and personal use. So, we incorporate this part of their corporate culture into our endpoint management rules and practices. When a Hypercare call comes in, having a friendly agent on the end of the line who is accessible and familiar with the company and its culture is critical.
At CrucialLogics, as with our tech support, we don't farm out our HyperCare support overseas. We do it all in-house, getting to know the particular needs of your company and your users. Our bespoke HyperCare services provide an elevated level of personalized support for end-users, with meticulous attention to detail to ensure both employee and company peace of mind. Let us help you enable and support your business. Reach out at any time.