What’s Your Back Up Strategy?

Here is the irony of the situation. It was inevitable that it would happen one day; that I would be caught out on the very thing I always preach to my clients. In two words: data backup ...

This story relates only to my personal data as I had not got around to properly setting up the backup. I did not have sufficient storage in my generic data centre cloud backup account to store the data that was on my handset, including photographs that I had on my phone for the past few years.

"For only the second time since I have had a mobile phone contract in 1996, I had my phone stolen!"

It was on my birthday this year, in May 2024. The main difference is that we are now in a very precarious position of having vast amounts of both personal and company data on our handsets so security is of the upmost importance along with having the correct backup facilities in place.

Looking from a corporate perspective, companies need to seriously adopt email security and more importantly, Mobile Device Management (MDM) which is the business solution equivalent to Apple and Google's 'find my phone' and 'wipe my phone' facilities that both Operating System vendors offer on their platforms.

These facilities are all well and good for personal phones and data, but nowhere near as efficient if you have a fleet of handsets, including any tablet devices that also have company emails and documents stored on the device for work purposes.

MDM offers not just search and wipe facilities, but a whole host of corporate features like bulk app delivery and updating of firmware as well as geofencing facilities and blocking of apps withing certain times of the day (for example, the user cannot access Facebook from 9.00am to 5.30pm).

When considering IT strategies, it is time to consider the whole picture in terms of 'technology' strategies and treat the entire network as being vulnerable at the network core!

All roads lead to your internet connections via wired and Wi-Fi connectivity which connects all internal devices to the external world and also to your backup systems. Apple and Google have tried their best to ensure your chosen apps can be reinstated on a new handset. But some of the protocols for locking a lost or stolen phone and using a standard web browser to access your account is nigh on impossible, as their standard approach is to verify the account by sending a code to the phone, which is as useful as a chocolate teapot! When it comes to your technology strategies, backing up and keeping data from mobile phones and tablet devices inside the organisation should be part of the workflow as much as any PC or laptop security configuration.

If you feel inspired to find out more then do call me on 07555 807700 or leave a comment below and I'll be in touch as soon as I can.