E-Handbook: Mobile security trends point to unifying policy and tools Article 1 of 3

Come together: Mobile security trends include unification

The latest mobile security trends clearly show that traditional mobile device management, or MDM, has given way to enterprise mobile management. That's not surprising: EMM offers far more sophisticated ways to enhance security on mobile devices. But it may not be enough, and that's why EMM seems to already be yielding the floor -- to what expert Kevin Beaver calls its "heir apparent," unified endpoint management (UEM).

A look at the trends in mobile security makes clear why: It's no longer enough to be able to track devices, segment data, or even do a remote wipe. With the variety of mobile devices coming through corporate doors, security's control must be scalable and robust enough to handle the threat. Hackers, of course, are ruthless, and they are busy figuring out ways to use employee-owned endpoints as the entrance point into critical company systems and data. More detailed application control, for instance, is essential to handle shadow IT and rogue applications. Infosec pros also must have a means to inventory the apps on a device used for work, as well as monitor sensitive data used by those apps. Increasingly, mobile security trends favor tools that possess the capability for policy management, context-derived identity management, software patching, system hardening and more.

The overall enterprise mobile security picture has evolved rapidly. To that end, it is imperative to consider implementing EMM and, preferably, UEM. Just as important: EMM and UEM installments must be done correctly in order to be fully effective. There's no time to lose. Unify your approach to mobile security. Or in the immortal words of Lennon and McCartney: Come together, right now.