How Agencies Keep Mobile Software Secure
As mobile devices proliferate, agencies have implemented enterprise mobility management (EMM) or mobile device management (MDM) tools to ensure tablets and smartphones have the most up-to-date operating systems installed.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission turned to EMM software to automatically deploy the latest OS updates to smartphones and tablets, says Lamar Dunn, deputy director of infrastructure and operations.
The IT staff gives users the flexibility to download the mobile apps they need. But the team also educates users to regularly download the latest app updates and security fixes when they are available, he says.
“If there’s a patch for an app, we ask them to stay on top of the updates via Wi-Fi,” he says.
Similarly, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses MDM software to centrally manage and secure agency-owned and personally owned mobile devices.
“If we see people operating with the wrong OS level, we let them know they have to upgrade, and we turn off access to the NRC production network until they bring their device up to the right level,” says David Nelson, the agency’s CIO.
For more on the importance of patch management and how it helped agencies respond to the WannaCry ransomware attack, visit “When the WannaCry Ransomware Attack Struck, Feds Were Ready.”
