In the last few years—right before our eyes—communication has changed. From internet browsing, to text and e-mail messaging, people are going mobile. In fact, upwards of 80% of users are opening their e-mails on mobile devices. It can no longer be denied that the business world must begin to work within the mobile world of customers. In fact, mobile strategy must be a priority when it comes to connecting with current and potential markets.
Though mobile security is discussed almost constantly, it recently came under fire when Gartner released a new report on mobile application security. The findings declared that more than 75 percent of mobile applications are expected to fail basic security tests through 2015; a statistic that all but terrified users of business apps everywhere.
“Today, more than 90 percent of enterprises use third-party commercial applications for their mobile BYOD strategies, and this is where current major application security testing efforts should be applied…app stores are filled with applications that mostly prove their advertised usefulness. Nevertheless, enterprises and individuals should not use them without paying attention to their security. They should download and use only those applications that have successfully passed security tests conducted by specialized application security testing vendors.” (Gartner, 2014)
What does this mean for corporate application use? Mobile applications are different from web applications, and thus require their own unique set of security strategies, policies and mobile experts capable of addressing relevant security challenges. Enterprise-owned applications have a responsibility to their clients to provide superb mobile infrastructure security and managing capabilities.
The issue with strengthening enterprise app security is that with the practice of mobile business being so new, most enterprises are still not highly experienced in testing mobile applications for security and performance. In fact, testing is generally done without much planning at all. In many cases, these features are tested by developers who are generally responsible only for user features and performance, and less familiar with threats and risks associated with mobile apps.
So, how can all of this security testing be simplified enough for the average business to keep up? Simple: before going to the mobile market, it’s essential to employ field experts capable of security testing. Your application is a physical representation of your company’s ability to provide for customers, protecting against a security breach will make sure that they stay out of harm’s way.
If you’d like more in-depth information about creating mobile business applications, or how to test app security, please contact one of our mobile experts at [email protected]
Balaji has spent over 18 years in the IT Services Industry. With an experience encompassing Services and Product Marketing, he has successfully managed globally distributed Marketing and Product teams. He’s an analytical marketer with strong understanding and experience across marketing strategy, demand generation, field marketing, technology partner marketing, account based marketing, digital marketing, event management, analysis and third party relationship, PR/Media, people management, etc.
