Malware has gone mobile. Malicious attacks are being taken out against mobile devices with increasing speed, as users begin to use their mobile devices more often. A single compromised mobile device can compromise the entirety of your business, but securing all of these devices can also seem impossible. Organizations that want to protect themselves need to invest in endpoint protection.

What is Managed Endpoint Protection?

Endpoint protection is used to describe a managed security solution that specifically manages end user devices. This can include desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and tablets. An agent is installed on these endpoint devices, which reports back to the network. The agent will report whether the device is currently running the right version of the software, whether it has items in quarantine, and whether its behavior has been erratic.

However, endpoint protection is only effective if it's being maintained. This is where managed IT security can step in. Managed IT security services can both deploy and manage endpoint protection solutions.

Why Are Mobile Devices Vulnerable?

Mobile devices are becoming an increasing problem in the business arena for a myriad of reasons:

• Every employee has a mobile device. They may also have a desktop, laptop, and tablet. All of these devices individually are risky; having multiple mobile devices vastly increases the risk.
• Employees are now doing work on-the-go. Now that mobile devices are stronger and more robust, they can be used to complete work. Employees read documents, check their emails, and transfer sensitive files on their phone.
• Mobile phones themselves are more powerful. In the old days, hacking a mobile phone wouldn't get you anywhere; it wouldn't even be able to run the malicious code. Today's phones have enough resources that they could take an entire network down.
• Most mobile phones aren't secured. Many phones don't come with security or scanning solutions, so no one would ever know that they were infected.

As employees have gotten used to doing work on their phones, they have also become more lax about security protocols. Some may not even know their phone could be compromised.

A single malicious attack can stop a business in its tracks. Businesses need to be proactive about their security if they want to avoid potential disaster. A managed IT security firm can help. Managed IT security companies are experts within the field, and can quickly deploy new mobile-focused technologies. This gives you peace of mind without having to invest in your own internal security team.