August 1, 2014 Leave a Comment
Avatar
Networking

Latin America Insights: Keeping Your Organization Safe in a Mobile World

The power of mobility has transformed the IT landscape.

While mobility and other tech forces, such as cloud and big data, have enabled organizations to improve productivity and increase efficiency, the constant challenge of keeping data, assets and users secure continues to be a top concern for CIOs and CSOs.

And these concerns stretch across global borders. For example, Frost & Sullivan analysts predict a $1.1B investment towards IT security in Latin America by 2015.

Today, security is no longer an expense, but a necessity for moving forward. It’s an investment for the future longevity of any company. With this in mind, how can business and IT leaders keep their organizations safe in a mobile world? And what can we learn from the mobile security adoption we are seeing in Latin America?

Recently, I had a chance to participate in a new Future of Mobility podcast with Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Bruno Tasco, to discuss the answers to some of these questions and how organizational leaders can address security in a way to reap the benefits of true mobility. The podcast is available for download in Spanish and Portuguese and a summary in English can be found on iTunes.

Here are a couple of considerations for CIOs and CSOs as they evaluate their mobile security strategies and look to future-proof their business.

Prepare for Fast Changes

Talking about mobility or general mobility in our Latin America market is like talking about the past. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI), Latin America is experiencing and will continue to see incredible mobile adoption. Most companies I work with already have some type of mobility solution and their basic security needs are covered, such as securing devices like laptops and smartphones.

However, there is a need to be prepared for the fast changes in technology that will be driven by the Internet of Things (IoT) – and eventually the Internet of Everything (IoE).

According to Bruno, the way we are managing IT is changing and as such, we have to adopt a new business model that includes cloud, mobility, IoT and security. To guarantee a new opportunity for profitability, business leaders must have a comprehensive security strategy that covers all these facets in the short, medium and long-term.

Mobile Cloud Security

In Latin America, mobile security is at a basic, initial level, but a much higher level can be reached. The first step should be the cloud. For example, securing content stored in devices and preparing for failures is one reason so many users are leveraging the cloud. Storing mobile data in the cloud can offer deeper security options, without compromising performance or access.

This is the rise of mobile cloud. Organizations are beginning to see that if they really want to benefit from mobility – and do so in a secure and strategic way- the next step will be to implement a cloud option.

From a security perspective, this evolution brings new security issues to the table, not in relation to product, but policies. How mobile cloud is adopted and used will shape mobile cloud security policies and enterprises should anticipate and prepare for this change.

The Value of a Trusted Partner

One of the tendencies in Latin America (and perhaps other regions) is that the managers make decisions to address short-term problems. For example, “I buy this equipment and I buy this solution to solve this problem.”

When it comes to mobile security, organizations need to have a business partner, a company or a vendor that is fully integrated with a future vision that can offer an evolving solution to enable companies to grow.

As we evaluate security concerns, our immediate first thoughts might be the advanced security threats for which we need to be prepared. However, keeping businesses safe also means helping them stay competitive so they can be adaptable in our new business reality.

We are never going to be completely 100% secure, but we need to continuously strive to extinguish threats, as we innovate and build for the long-term.

 

To learn more about how Cisco can help your organization adopt a mobile security strategy, join the conversation, #FutureOfMobility.

Additional Resources: