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Enterprise mobile compliance refers to the set of practices created to ensure mobile devices used within an organization comply with industry regulations. EMC touches on various components, including policies for device security, software updates and patches, and data encryption. Let’s take a closer look at the organizational concerns, challenges, and best practices related to EMC.
Some industries face far stricter regulations than others. Common examples include healthcare, finance, automotive, and government. Highly regulated industries must comply with a long list of rules, but all businesses must comply with data security regulations. Failure to secure personal data could lead to negligence claims and expensive lawsuits.
Despite this, even companies in highly regulated industries sometimes drop the ball. For example, one New York Times article reported that using private apps for business operations had led to $1.8 million in fines on Wall Street.
Note that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not take issue with the apps themselves. The problem stemmed from alleged failures to ensure proper recordkeeping across those apps.
Compliance concerns vary across different industries, geographic regions, and business sizes. Even so, here are some common issues companies need to address.
Recordkeeping is an integral part of compliance. This includes policies for making and storing digital copies of hard-copy records and requirements to keep a log of electronic transactions. The BYOD policies and the use of personal apps further complicate this process.
Many companies fail to patch software vulnerabilities promptly, leading to costly data breaches. To ensure compliance, businesses must devise a system to review and respond to software updates on time.
Data encryption refers to translating readable data into an unreadable form. This makes it more difficult for hackers or unauthorized users to access sensitive information, such as personal data or financial details. Companies must implement strong data encryption across their entire organization to remain compliant.
Many regions have data privacy laws that outline specific business requirements, such as the right to access or correct personal data. These laws also determine how long companies can keep customer information and what they can do with it. Examples include the GDPR and the CCPA.
While compliance is top-priority for all businesses, several key challenges can make it difficult to implement EMC successfully. Identifying these ahead of implementation can help organizations plan for a more successful deployment of solutions:
Fortunately, several solutions and best practices can help businesses overcome these challenges. Consider the following.
Many companies struggle with compliance because they lack the human resources to implement and maintain it effectively. Investing in dedicated EMC staff and tools, such as software for data backups and monitoring systems, can help businesses consistently meet compliance requirements.
Create formal training programs to educate employees on their responsibilities and requirements. Ensure regular updates as new threats, procedures or regulations lead to the need for changed behavior. This can go a long way toward achieving better overall compliance.
Clear communication between departments is essential for making sure employees fully understand their responsibilities when it comes to EMC. This includes communicating compliance requirements to all staff members, regular training programs, and communication channels for handling issues that arise.
Companies can implement standard security profiles and policies for all employees to follow, regardless of the devices and operating systems they use. In some cases, the use of older devices can make this hard to do. Companies can create separate policies or exemptions for these but modernization is a much better approach.
Create a clear policy for enforcing violations across all departments and business units. The system should not rely on reactive methods of detecting violations. It must also include regular audits, scheduled assessments, and an anonymous reporting system for suspicious or negligent behavior. Ensure you have a way to track repeat offenders.
At LeapXpert, we specialize in providing effective communications capturing and archiving solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our experienced team has the knowledge and tools you need to streamline recordkeeping compliance efforts and stay secure in today’s digital landscape. Book your demo to see our software in action.