Dell warns firms not to get complacent over mobile security

Managing data and applications on mobile devices should be a priority for IT admins, according to Dell.

Businesses need to focus on the software side of things, not just the hardware it is running on, Don Ferguson, VP and CTO for software at Dell told delegates during a panel discussion.

"Poorly designed software is the main reason for security breaches. Step one [for protection] is to make sure you have proper expertise for developing software," he said at Dell World 2014.

"Mobile device security touches everything from data classification [to] privileges. It's important to secure the device and ensure that only the right people retain rights to the data."

Meanwhile, Prasad Thrikutam, president and global head of applications at Dell Services warned businesses not to get complacent as the sophistication of mobile devices increases.

"There are at least 368 security major breaches to the end of October10 million records have been compromised," he said.

"There are so many windows of vulnerability [on mobiles]. Just the aspect of GPS on phones exposes them. Advertisers can know your position and [hackers can] get into the back end. Most of us use simple, easy to remember, one-finger security codes that makes them easy to access [too]."

Thrikutam's advice is for businesses to implement platform-based security, adopt two-factor authentication, use containers to sandbox data/apps and also direct attention to securing back-end infrastructure.