Many government regulations require organizations to assess and protect against “reasonably foreseeable internal or external threats” (GLBA) and “reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security and integrity of [protected health] information” (HIPAA).

To comply with these regulations, organizations must figure out how to extend compliance and security best practices from large offices to include laptops and other mobile devices.

And there are many “reasonably foreseeable threats” for mobile laptops. They are not protected by central firewalls and intrusion protection systems. They communicate over insecure networks – often including access points in public locations like hotels, airports and coffee shops. And they are subject to physical loss and theft.

Fiberlink helps organizations implement best practices in protecting against the threats of mobile computing, so that they can comply with regulatory mandates.

Hackers and network threats

Fiberlink’s MaaS360 Mobility Platform allows enterprises to apply best practices to blocking hackers and network threats. This includes deploying and managing endpoint security applications such as:

• Security patch management
• Personal firewalls
• Anti-virus and anti-spyware tools
• Intrusion protection
• Zero-Day Threat Protection

Data theft and loss

Fiberlink allows enterprises to show that they are protecting sensitive data from the loss or theft of the laptop or removable media.

Data Encryption protects sensitive data from prying eyes, even when laptops are lost or stolen.

Automated data backup and recovery backs up files automatically and stores them at a remote location. If a laptop is lost or stolen, the files can be restored to a new PC over the Internet, so that employees can resume work with no loss of productivity.

Automated data backup for remote devices also ensures that copies of protected information are available for auditing and analysis at a later time.

Wireless threats

Fiberlink protects mobile employees against hazards of wireless communications such as "evil twin" attacks and traffic "sniffing" at Wi-Fi hotspots. Fiberlink's Extend360 Agent filters out ad-hoc networks before presenting mobile employees with connection options. Network authentication credentials are encrypted before wireless transmission so they cannot be captured by sniffers. Enforcing the use of Virtual Private Network connections protects mobile systems against eavesdropping.

Network Access Control

Fiberlink provides compliance checking and Mobile Network Access Control (NAC). The Extend360 Agent™ continually checks to see if laptops are in compliance with the organization's corporate policies. If not, it terminates network connectivity to protect the network.

Controlling and logging employee actions

The MaaS360 Mobility Platform and Fiberlink Security Services can help organizations demonstrate that appropriate security measures have been implemented and are operational.

For example, the Fiberlink Inventory Management service collects and reports on information about the software, hardware and security applications located on mobile computers.

Through a compliance checking capability, the MaaS360 Mobility Platform™ can be used to show that all laptops connected to the enterprise network were in compliance with corporate security policies at the time that they were connected.

Fiberlink Device Control service regulates the use of USB memory sticks, CD-ROM drives and other external storage devices, as well as controlling the use of Firewire, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 802.11 and other wireless links. Data transfers to these devices can be blocked completely, or assigned “ quotas” by time period. The service can also create audit trails of device usage, and ensure that information copied to removable media is encrypted.

Finally, Fiberlink’s Information Protection service provides comprehensive control of “ information in motion.”Administrators designate disks and directories as containing sensitive information. All movements of these files from mobile devices is monitored and logged, so there is a record if sensitive files are:

• Distributed as email attachments.
• Transferred with instant messaging or file transfer packages.
• Uploaded on Web forms.
• Printed.
• Saved to a disk drive or to an external storage device.

Alternately, any of these activities can be blocked so sensitive files can be downloaded and viewed, but not distributed in any form.

The ability to audit and block the distribution of sensitive files from mobile laptops is an extremely powerful tool for safeguarding protected customer, financial and health information from inadvertent and intentional misuse by employees.

Read Fiberlink’s white paper:  Extending Compliance to the Mobile Workforce: Risks and Security Best Practices for Mobile and Remote Computers.