Insurance Companies Need to Insure Enterprise Mobility with MDM

The proliferation of enterprise mobility, mobile devices and BYOD programs seem to know no boundaries. We are seeing initiatives around enterprise mobility and the optimization of worker productivity across the board from federal agencies to large scale public organizations to small and medium size private companies. A new report from Novarica provides specific insight into one vertical that is getting on the mobility train. The report “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) at US Insurers” takes a deeper look at how the US insurance industry is adopting enterprise mobility and shows us what the current environment across medium to large scale providers looks like.

According to the report two-thirds of the 86 mid-size and large P&C and life/annuity insurers surveyed plan to expand their use of BYOD for smartphones and tablets in 2013. Utilizing BYOD programs and increasing the use of corporate applications beyond just email and calendar functions seems to be a trend the report has uncovered as well. With these large and mid sized providers increasing their use of and the capabilities the devices will now have, Novarica strongly suggests that consideration of a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. The ability to remote lock/wipe, monitor, secure and grant access will be critical as the devices become more incorporated and intertwined with corporate practices and information.

“We strongly recommend that all insurers carefully consider their security provisions for BYOD and consider the benefits of using an MDM platform if they are not already doing so,” Novarica says in the survey. “Companies need to have remote-wipe capabilities to delete information from lost devices or from the devices of employees who leave the company. Security protocols (passwords, time-outs, not storing unencrypted information on the device, etc.) on personal devices must meet general corporate standards.”