When the FBI released its annual Cybercrime Report in late 2020, the agency revealed some alarming results. Over $4.2 billion in losses were reported due to cybercrime, a full 69% increase from the 2019 numbers.
Since then, major data breaches such Solar Winds or Colonial Pipeline have dominated news headlines and made cybersecurity a key priority for 2021. All of this comes just as organizations are setting out the long-term strategies for their newly-remote workforces. How do we reconcile the shift to work-from-anywhere with the pressing need for best-in-class cybersecurity support?
The answer lies in the ways organizations approach distributing, supporting, and managing the devices workers use every day, thanks to the possibilities of Device-as-a-Service, or DaaS.
Continuous Device Upgrades
The older the device, the greater the security risk—to a point. Some long-standing organizations are in no rush to replace their decades-old floppy disk systems, partly due to the security of having data stored on physical media, completely disconnected from the internet.
Of course, most organizations don’t have the option of relying on legacy tech for their operational needs. Industry leaders rely on their competitive advantages, which are driven more and more by digital transformation investments.
These IT spends work best when implemented on best-in-class devices for a few reasons, not least of which is the cybersecurity advantage. Devices that cannot receive the latest software and security updates, or that no longer receive technical support from the vendor, are a security risk for companies and a lucrative backchannel for hackers.
Mitigating this risk doesn’t have to mean buying and replacing devices as soon as the latest model releases—doing so is just as untenable for organizations as it is for individuals. Luckily, leaders managing dispersed teams can now leverage DaaS to ensure cutting-edge technology is provided to each user through a simple subscription model.
With DaaS, users can simply turn in their old device through a self-service portal and order a new one preinstalled with the latest security applications. This method of device management works at a fraction of the cost of buying the devices outright and ensures a consistency of security across an organization’s tech stack: A crucial first step for broadening the possibilities of data protection and risk mitigation.
Automated Monitoring and Analysis
Implementing DaaS brings much-needed additional benefits to a team’s security infrastructure. One clear challenge for organization’s defending themselves against malevolent actors is speed; once a device’s security is breached, hackers attempt to work quickly to maximize their ill-gotten payday and extend their reach as broadly as possible.
Enterprise mobile device security starts with IT teams monitoring and analyzing device usage through UEM and MDM solutions. Yet the possibilities go even further with the automation capabilities provided by cloud- and AI-based tools, getting ahead of an issue before other device stakeholders may even be aware.
All of this comes at a lower overall price point, as device management lessens the burden on IT staff to manually provide support. Automated device backups ensure data is stored and protected on the cloud in case a device needs to be restored, while managed lifecycle management keeps lost or outdated devices from becoming a security risk.
The data insights unlocked through DaaS give a better, more pinpointed insight into where devices are, how they’re being used, and what exactly each user can access. The proactive approach to work-from-anywhere teams can in fact boost productivity while engaging with truly holistic security, all through a managed service.
Having a Solid Cybersecurity Strategy Has Never Been Cooler for 2021
Optimized IT Budgets
The pace of cybersecurity spending across companies actually slowed in 2020, apart from one key area: Cloud-security, which rose a whopping 33% overall. As leaders navigated the remote-shift, they wisely realized work-from-anywhere productivity came with a need for new protections.
Understanding where and how to optimize these budgets will decide how an organization builds their complete DaaS package. Customers can take on the management of their UEM or they can offload some of the work through DaaS. With the DaaS baked-in subscription model it makes it easy for IT and finance teams to plan ahead so scaling is not an issue. Take device repair, for example. What could be a burdensome task for IT can instead become a self-service operation, handled entirely by the device user for quick replacement. With a new device ready to use right out of the box, with all necessary security, VPN, and encryption apps pre-installed, IT’s role in this formerly time-consuming process is reduced.
Those time savings translate into IT improvements across an organization. The backlog of tasks meant to upgrade other aspects of cybersecurity infrastructure can now become an actionable list of to-dos.
IT’s role in device management can become more operational and productivity-driven. IoT devices provide a consistent stream of data that expert analysts use to improve efficiency, whether staff or on-premise, remote, or in-between. Meanwhile, the DaaS provider handles 24/7 support for successful asynchronous operations.
Connecting Cybersecurity and DaaS
Enterprise mobile device security deployments and service-based device models both rely on a continuous approach. When crucial manufacturer upgrades arrive, the teams that can adapt the quickest also the most secure.
A DaaS model streamlines this 21st century approach to cybersecurity by keeping everyone on the same subscription model. In a comprehensive approach to device management, no single weak link emerges that lets daily operations become an opening for data theft or leakage. It’s the difference between not knowing where the next security gap may be versus having the right insights delivered automatically, 24/7, for use and analysis by optimized teams, for users accessing their data securely on the exact right device.
Are you ready to gain control of your enterprise mobile device security? Request a demo to see how you can secure your devices and gain a competitive advantage with DaaS from Tangoe.