A large percentage of successful cyber-attacks exploit software or hardware which is out of date and no longer protected. Luckily, most devices receive regular updates. These updates add new features, fix bugs, and most importantly, improve security. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that devices in your business are up to date.
The more team members and devices you have across your organization, the more difficult it is to ensure that everything is updated promptly. You can’t rely on dozens or hundreds of team members to promptly update their devices every time an update is released, and a single compromised device could allow an attacker access to your entire network.
Mobile Device Management (MDM) allows you to deploy updates to multiple devices at once. Combine this with our managed IT services, and you can have peace of mind that your devices will remain secure and protected. Let’s explain…
What Happens If A Device Is Not Updated With The Latest Firmware?
There are multiple ways that having devices which are not up to date can negatively impact your business.
- Vulnerabilities
As it gets easier and cheaper for cybercriminals to carry out attacks, small companies are becoming common targets. Ransomware assaults, denial-of-service attacks, and data breaches can all wreak havoc on your reputation. Unfortunately, continuing to use devices that are out of date exposes you to an increased risk of these attacks. Several high-profile cyberattacks have exploited known vulnerabilities for which a software patch was already available. - Reduced Productivity
Updates often increase the productivity of devices. This can be as something as simple as increasing the efficiency of a device’s battery use, allowing you to use it for longer without having to recharge it. The cumulative effect of all these updates can greatly increase your overall productivity. - Increased Downtime
Many customers are ready to switch to your competitors as soon as your firm experiences downtime or disturbance. Downtime is frequently caused by software and hardware bugs. Most of these issues are, of course, resolved in software updates. As a result, failure to patch your software could result in a system crash that could take hours or days to recover from. - Regulatory Risk
Keeping software and devices up to date is a key part of several data protection laws and regulations. While these regulations may vary state by state, other are federal or may be specific to your industry regulator. To avoid fines, penalties, or even prospective lawsuits, it’s critical to maintain your organization’s compliance. Furthermore, some contracts, such as DoD contracts, need tight compliance in order to be awarded. Don’t let missing updates get you in trouble with the law or cost you a client.
What Is Mobile Device Management?
MDM is a type of IT security software used by administrators to monitor, manage, and secure employee-owned devices used for work purposes. The aim is to protect an organization’s data while giving employees the freedom to use their own devices for work.
MDM solutions usually come in the form of a mobile app that must be installed on each device. Once installed, the app gives the IT department complete control over the device. This includes the ability to remotely lock or wipe the device if it’s lost or stolen, as well as push updates and install apps.
How Does MDM Help Keep Your Devices Up To Date?
When trying to manage mobile device updates in-house, things can get complicated due to the dynamic of today’s workforce and the various types of devices that each team member uses. It’s also not a good idea to delegate responsibilities to individual employees who may not know how to update their equipment or might forget to do it.
The other alternative is to create a full-fledged on-site IT team that can use mobile device management software to track and ensure that every device is up to current. However, because to the high expense, most small and medium businesses are unable to do so. The solution is to partner with a managed IT services provider like Carden IT Services.
This procedure can be made easier by outsourcing device upgrades to a business like Carden IT Services. You receive all the benefits of remote, company-wide updates at a fraction of the cost of doing it yourself. New remote employees won’t have to wait weeks for their equipment to be properly configured. To protect your data, we use remote MDM to automate device provisioning for new personnel and de-provisioning for those leaving.
By now you’ve probably realised how important mobile device management is and thinking how you really need to implement it in your business. Luckily, our team can help implement and manage MDM solutions for you, speak to our experts today.
