The answers are maybe and it depends. And its not because the Blackberry Classic is the new trendy model. It’s because the Blackberry is now considered one of the most secure mobile on the market, with advanced encryption settings.
Did you know that this type of security can impact your business in a major way?
Cyber Security and Your Business
Security issues are in the news. If it’s not department stores, it’s healthcare records. Or Social Security information. And hackers are having a field day/
Making sure the contacts and critical information routinely kept on a company’s smartphone is safe is a major concern, whether the phone is yours or is used by an employee.
Here is a brief look at the types of data that pass through your phone:
- Client contact info
- Business email
- Business financial data
- Business wireless network
- Employees use them away from work to connect to your secure network
The risks for malware, hacking, and other types of data breaches are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What the Experts Say
You are vulnerable, even if you’ve never been hacked. Cyber security might seem like something the government, healthcare agencies or major corporations need to worry about. But not your small to mid-size company.
Wrong. Look at the statistics:
More than 40 percent of smartphone thefts happen in the office, according to a 2014 report from Verizon.
Forty percent of users in the U.S. were expected to click on an unsafe link on their mobile device in 2012, reports Mashable.
Nearly 50 percent of security breaches were due to lost or stolen electronics like laptops and smartphones, according to a report published by Ponemon Institute.
In a recent study, a research team was able to successfully hack apps a Android phone 82 to 92 percent of the time, FierceWireless reported.
But that’s not all. Nine out of 10 smartphones on the market are vulnerable to malicious apps and malware, as the Insurance Journal recently reported.
What Should You Do?
The best way to ensure that hackers can’t make use of data on your phone is to encrypt them. Without the key, criminals can’t get to it.
Get a system in place that ensures all devices get security updates as soon as they come out. They don’t work if you don’t install them.
Don’t let employees use their own personal mobile devices for business. The chances are simply too great that malware can infect your network.
Always carry cyber liability insurance. If something does happen, you will be covered for theft, for paying for the damage due to identify theft issues and for repairing your reputation.
Switch to a Blackberry Classic?
Given all the reasons you need to be worried about security, whatever the size of your business, should you switch to the Blackberry Classic? It definitely shines in the encryption area, but it’s not perfect. For example, it still doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner for log-in.
But it can encrypt your emails and messages so your data stays private. It allows you to encrypt data stored on the smartphone or SD card too.
The company offers BlackBerry Protect, a website that will help you if you lose your phone. It helps locate it but also secures it when it’s not in your possession. If you send the command, it will make a loud noise, lock your phone or even wipe your data.
Look at the mobile devices you have now. Ask a consultant if it can be upgraded for better security. It could be that what you have is fine as long as you add encryption, have a workable plan for timely security updates and use sensible precautions to keep it safe. And don’t forget your business insurance.
