When it comes to communication, is there any tool more versatile than a cell phone? Think about how cellular devices have evolved in the last ten years. Whereas before it may have been seen as a secondary or alternative form of communication to the desktop, chances are if you had to choose between the two, you would now probably choose your cell phone. It is now the hub of your life…email, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instant messages. It is all in there.
The convenience and flexibility that cellular devices offer us has made them, in many ways, the primary form of communication. Consider some of these statistics:
- On average we spend 119 minutes on our phones daily
- Over 50% of email is opened on mobile devices
- 71% of phones contain severe operating system and application vulnerabilities
- 51% of organizations experienced data loss from use of unsecured devices
(Stats from Rapid7 Community and Forbes)
While employees are using mobile devices to communicate in new and innovative ways that can benefit your organization, this communication comes with new risks that can damage personal reputations and cast your organization in a negative light.
Some of these risks include:
- Sexual harassment
- Financial loss
- Data leakage
- Discrimination
- Loss of productivity
- Potential litigation
Regulations Provide Direction
Regulations are made to protect us, right? In order to help organizations manage the shift towards mobile, government and other agencies have created regulations and guidelines. Compliance with these regulations will help your organization avoid fines, sanctions and other penalties as well as avoiding the risks involved with mobile misuse. A sampling of these regulations and guidelines for archiving and retaining electronic communication are listed below.
- The Freedom of Information Act
- Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
- HIPAA – Regulates health care providers’ management of protected health information
- HITECH – Expands on HIPAA
- Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Many states have “Sunshine Laws” or Freedom of Information Laws, in addition to the Federal laws.
How GWAVA Can Help!
Retain Mobile™ securely archives text messages, SMS/MMS, and phone call logs for Android (2.2 and above), as well as archiving BlackBerry® device data like BBM, PIN, SMS/MMS and phone call logs. Mobile devices permeate organizations worldwide, an archiving solution for all communications data produced by these devices becomes a must-have. The GWAVA solution helps ensure compliance with corporate policies and government regulations, thus reducing the opportunity for legal liabilities. Reduce your liability from mobile device usage with Retain Mobile, on prem or in the cloud.
Contact Us Today!
For more information about Retain Mobile and the need for mobile communications archiving visit our webiste or contact us at info@GWAVA.com or 1-866-GO-GWAVA.
Photo Credit: SMS by Mario Mancuso is licensed under CC BY 2.0
