6 Tips To Protect Your Mobile Device
According to Mobithinking.com there are nearly 6 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide. Unfortunately, when compared to PCs, mobile devices and smartphones are more prone to be lost or stolen, which significantly increases the risk of identity theft, compromised information, and ultimately, financial loss for the consumer.
There are a number of things you can do to mitigate security risks and protect your mobile device, including these six essential tips from Support.com (NASDAQ: SPRT), thePersonal Technology Experts:
1. Enable Auto Lock: Whether using an iPhone, an Android smartphone, or a BlackBerry, enable the built-in phone lock feature with a strong password. This adds an extra layer of security to your mobile device and prevents unauthorized access particularly if lost or stolen. To password-protect your iPhone follow these steps. If you have an Android phone, check out these tips and forums at Android Central. And for BlackBerry devices, try this app.
2. Install a Mobile Tracking App: To reduce the risk of lost or stolen mobile devices, consider a device tracking application such as:
· Android: Android Lost, Wheres My Droid
· BlackBerry: Berry Locator
3. Erase Personal Data Remotely: These applications enable you to remotely access a lost or stolen smartphone from a PC, and then wipe its data clean.
4. Lock-Sensitive Applications: Another useful way to protect personal data on smartphones is to make use of an application locker utility which prevents unauthorized access to applications that contain sensitive personal information. Even if someone finds or steals your phone, they cannot access these protected apps without a valid password (and while they fumble around you can remotely wipe all data clean!).
5. Device Backup: This is perhaps the wisest thing you can do to both protect vital data (and ensure you can restore it on a new device in the event of loss or theft). When choosing an application, always consider a solution that offers remote backup and restore, such as Lookout™ a free application for iPhones and Androids.
6. Real-Time Protection: Ensures that all files stored on your mobile device are analyzed each time you attempt to access them. It will also scan all incoming content, such as text messages and files received via Bluetooth.
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Jess Loren is an energetic entrepreneur and start-up savant who specializes in the team-based execution of innovative ideas. The co-founder of Chicago social media marketing and business technology solutions company Kambio Group & tech/pop culture blog SocialTechPop, Jess is not only a fluent expert in the present state of social media, but a visionary with an eye toward the future. In her projects, Jess combines the effects of cutting-edge technology with the connectivity of social media, and examines how they play a role in determining the next big thing. Jess has contributed across the industry, working with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to a company that hosts the “largest bar crawl in America.” Follow Jess on Twitter @chitownjess