Enterprise Mobility
7 Unbeatable Techniques for Improving Enterprise Mobile App Security
The mobility revolution has
transformed our lives. From the way we shop, to travel, to work, everything is
changed with the introduction of smartphones and mobile apps. A successful
strategy has allowed employees to use mobile devices at office premises to
access business data and applications. It has allowed the business process to
align with mobile IT. The traditional method of the paper document has been
eliminated and the bring-your-own-device concept has allowed employees to use
their smartphones at work. There is no restriction regarding place or time and
users can get their tasks done by using mobile devices.
Enterprise mobile apps are built
to enhance the productivity of the business and are majorly operated in
corporate environments such as business or government. It includes payment
processing, billing system, product catalogs, IT management, content
management, business intelligence (BI), human resource management (HRM), sales
force management. As the trend of mobile apps has grown so does the frequency
of app-based attacks. Where BYOD has allowed the employees to have their
personal or professional interests together in a single mobile, it has alarmed
the security concern even more. Though hiring a good enterprise
mobile app development company can ensure development of a safe and secured
app for your business, to do this, you must know a proper strategy and a few
techniques for improving enterprise mobile app security. So without wasting
much time, let’s begin.
What is Enterprise Mobile App Security?
Enterprise mobility has
transformed the business and has accelerated the growth of the business by not
only boosting employees’ productivity and connectivity but also, by enriching
the businesses with new innovative services. It has provided the option to
access the business data from any part of the world and hence, has equally
developed the chances of high-risks from hackers and cyber attackers.
The mobile operating system has
seen massive security flaws like the one in August 2016, where Apple faced a
massive backlash because of the discovery of a security exploit termed as
“Trident”. This was so dangerous that it affected the Apple device from the
root level. Thus, such a massive backlash may turn out to be a big loss to the
business from leaking out of data to unauthorized people to the loss of all the
data stored in the app. Hence, enterprise mobility is important but not at the
expense of its information security.
Enterprise mobility solution mostly
face security issues like: -
Spyware: There is no
warning and you get access to all personal data information of your mobile
device including your contacts, photos, videos, and folders.
Third-party: Any
third-party involvement in the mobile app increases security issues.
Malware: It initiates a
disruption and enables the hackers or attackers to control your device.
Privacy Threats: It
includes unauthorized access to data such as images, contact lists, etc.
Enterprise
mobility management is essential for every business. It is necessary for
the organizations to understand mobile application security best practices
before implementing it.
7 Unbeatable Techniques to Improve the Security of Enterprise Mobility Apps
Optimize Mobile Devices
Mobile device security
starts from the root i.e. the operating system. Hence, to fight from external
factors, it is important to make the roots stronger. Operating systems iOS or
Android both play an important role in mobile security.
iOS Devices
Apple’s policy enforcement lets
you create rules like allowing or restricting certain apps' installment on the
mobile device. Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Enterprise Mobile Management
(EMM) provides the IT
consulting companies industry of iOS devices to control the security
aspects like passwords, device encryption, etc.
Android Devices
Most businesses use the Android
for Work (A4W) version for their mobile app development, which is from Android
6.0. This version is known to maintain app safety.
Single Sign-On for App Authentication
Apps are quite vulnerable in
today’s time to get virus attacks. Hence, double security is required to get
permission on any app. This made the way for SSO (Single Sign-on) along with
having a strong password. SSO Secures your app by helping users to sign in to
multiple apps with a single password. Though this was not a very usable
solution of users, hence OAuth 2.0 comes in which is more appropriate. It
allows users to operate the mobile device with double authentication, one is
the User ID and password, and second, a PIN generated on their device. Android,
iOS, Windows, or any latest browser all supports OAuth 2.0 services.
Also Read: Best App Security
Practices That You Need to Start Following NOW!
App Wrapping
This is the quickest and easiest
way to secure apps on mobile devices. Through app wrapping, the apps are
confined in a miniature form, thus keep it segmented from the rest of the
device. Though it is majorly used for few business apps as it requires the sharing
of authentication credentials which is generally not recommended for all your
private applications.
Encrypt the Network and Device
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Virtual Private Number (VPN) are the most common types of encryption to secure data transmission. Encryption allows you to disable the application in case the device is lost or stolen. This avoids any data breach and thus improves the efficiency of the device.
Strengthening the Operating System
Strengthening the OS helps in
tightening the security solution to the most. Apple has already put a lot of
effort into enforcing good mobile
app security in iOS. Apple uses the best tools to guarantee iOS security
like: -
- Review of Apple's Security Guide
in every four months
- Review of the latest code sample
at Apple's developer site
- The commercial tool is used by
Apple to analyze static code
While if we talk about Android,
it is a bit late in the enterprise space. Though the Google tools, including
Android and its APIs, are easy to use and are cheap, hence make it a good
reason to compel.
Test Repeatedly
Security is a concern that goes
far from the making of the app to its launching. Hence, never rush to release
these apps. Testing your mobile app multiple times to detect any bugs and
vulnerabilities ensures an error-free version at the final. Penetration
testing, threat modeling, and emulators are a few testing tools that should be
done with each update to avoid any risks. Apps are produced at a very rapid
rate; hence it is always recommended to test your apps before release so that any
fix required can be updated. To ensure the maximum safety and efficiency of
your app, you must opt for QA and
software testing services from professionals.
Authorized APIs Only
An application programming
interface (API) is an essential part of backend development and hence should
have a security system in place to protect data and prevent unauthorized
access. APIs are the only tool that is arguably future-proof, thus each API requires
app-level authentication.
Enterprise Mobile App Security- The Need of the Hour
Enterprise mobility is evolving
and won’t be wrong to say, it is the future. Financial activities are a part of
enterprise mobility solutions; hence the increasing cyber-attacks are a big
risk for it. The above provided are just a few practices for enterprise mobile
application security and most enterprise mobility
solution providers follow these practices to provide the best services to
their clients. These methods are not so challenging and by following these app
makers will be able to secure both the app and the data within it. A robust enterprise
mobility strategy is the need of the hour as an enterprise mobility app
creates the opportunity to enhance the performance and achieve the business
objectives!
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