As 2015 draws to a close and a new and exciting 2016 looms, we wanted to review some of the top themes around mobile security: surviving the mobile phenomenon, mobilephobia, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and the mobile enterprise. Set your new year up for success with a stroll down memory lane.

A Big Year in Mobile Security

We are living in the mobility age, and it’s a matter of survival for companies to catch up — and stay current — with the phenomenon. It’s not all device management, either; there are multiple mobile security areas that businesses need to consider.

In 2015, our IBM Security experts created the “Surviving the Mobile Phenomenon” webinar series in order to share recommendations and best practices for building a holistic mobile security strategy. There were a number of concepts discussed as part of this series, including…

Content and Collaboration

Today’s employees expect complete access from their mobile devices — not just to their email and calendars, but also to more sensitive corporate data. This content and collaboration webinar examined the best practices for accessing public cloud file stores as well as private, behind-the-firewall business resources. Real-world use cases gave participants a glimpse into how their peers are securing mobile content.

Identifying At-Risk Mobile Devices

The attack methods that cybercriminals use on mobile devices have evolved significantly in recent years and now range from cross-channel attacks that leverage a one-time password (OTP) to malware that specifically targets mobile platforms. Both devices and end users are targeted, with techniques such as cross-channel attacks, short message service (SMS) forwarding, malware and phishing gaining ground in the mobile channel due to both human error and inherent flaws in a devices’ operating systems.

Watch this session to learn more about identifying at-risk mobile devices, the current state of the mobile security market and threats facing the enterprise, with special focus on managing access and fraud.

Risk-Based Authentication

Mobility increases enterprise risk by complicating existing access management environments. When a user is authenticated, it’s not sufficient to simply confirm that his or her password is correct. Risk-based authentication, which includes looking at other factors such as time of authentication request, device type and IP address, is also an important part of mobile security. Join this webinar to learn how to give your employees the mobile access they need without compromising the security of your enterprise.

Protection Without Disruption

By the very nature of their mobility, mobile devices are more susceptible than traditional systems to attack, loss, infection or compromise. With the continued growth of BYOD, companies face a long list of challenges as they work to secure mobile devices and the corporate data that resides on them. Watch this webinar to learn why enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions are an important component of your holistic mobile security strategy.

Shielding Mobile Apps

Application security can be the Achilles’ heel of enterprise security, especially when it comes to mobile. This webinar looks at how companies can verify the security of their own in-house applications while simultaneously using the proper detection techniques to ensure third-party applications employees access are also secure.

Other Current Mobile Concerns

Another crucial factor in surviving the mobile phenomenon is not succumbing to mobilephobia. Unlike many phobias that are linked to irrational fears, mobilephobia is based on real fears and existing threats. CISOs today are afraid of adopting an enterprise mobility strategy due to security concerns. Fortunately, IBM has the cure for the CISO’s most common mobile security fears.

Watch this on-demand webinar to learn the Mobilephobia cures to ease your CISO’s mind

Another key message from 2015 is trying to enable BYOD securely across the enterprise. It’s important to have a holistic approach to enterprise mobile security — across devices, applications, identities and events — and something like IBM’s mobile security framework can help.

We can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store for mobile security!