One of the most obvious “Points of Vulnerability” for data breaches is the unauthorized use of personal devices. Very few companies actually have a way of measuring device usage accurately. The most common, yet misleading, measurement is to look at the company’s asset register or review inventory information received from machines on the network which have a standard company image loaded.

The problem with this measurement is that many ‘at risk’ devices simply do not show up in either activity. For instance, an employee who buys a smart phone or iPod® for their own personal use can synchronize information from their local laptop or direct with the company’s email server.

It is true that methods to detect and control mobile devices can be put in place to either prevent or allow device connectivity; however, it is very questionable whether a password alone is sufficient to control device usage and to meet the “reasonable risk” standard mandated in recent state and federal legislation around personal information security.

CREDANT Mobile Guardian is able to monitor and control the use of devices that sync to a user’s laptop, and so it can provide a much more accurate measurement of actual device usage.