Data security has and will continue to be a challenge for administrators who manage cloud services and mobile devices as the lines between personal and corporate are frequently blurred.

Gartner forecasts that by 2016, 40% of the workforce will be mobile; and Harris Interactive and ESET reported that over 80% of employees already use their mobile device to access corporate data in some capacity.

Securing these mobile devices and the data services they often utilize—specifically protecting devices not owned by the organization but that contain sensitive company or customer data—is a challenge that administrators are looking to simplify.

Encryption Protects the Enterprise

According to a recent security industry study, one Certificate Authority reported that problems like decreased productivity and data loss causes a typical organization to lose roughly $429,000 annually from poorly implemented BYOD security policies.

Enabling employees to stay productive, be mobile, and work remotely is critical in today's global 24/7/365 business. Expanding the borders of the workplace means that BYOD will need to be part of the solution for enterprises that want to stay ahead of the competition.

As network devices are added to enable access to systems, it's critical that strong security be in place in order to properly secure corporate resources. SSL Certificates offers precise access control by creating a secure, encrypted tunnel to specific applications rather than the entire corporate network.

SSL Is the Backbone of Network Security

Whether users are accessing the network through VPNs, online portals, or through apps created specifically for that enterprise, SSL is the most effective method to secure connections and protect corporate data.

Extended Validation certificates aren't just for e-commerce sites. Using EV in an enterprise gives corporate users instant assurance that they are accessing official corporate resources, even on-the-go. This adds an extra element of security.

Whether at home, in a coffee shop over lunch, or on the road, organizations with EV SSL can ensure that employees quickly identify legitimate corporate sites.

TLS-Based BYOD Security Options

As workforces become more mobile and geographically dispersed, SSL is becoming an integral means to achieve secure access to corporate resources wherever you are, whenever you want.

Devices not administrated by the organization pose a security risk as employees may access sensitive enterprise data on unsecured devices. Every device accessing corporate resources should have proper security. Administrators can deploy client SSL Certificates in the enterprise to enable email identification, encrypted email, and certificate-based network resource policies.

Administrators can then ensure that information exchanged in and out of the office is done securely and can add to the level of protection of their corporate systems by not only authenticating users, but also devices on the corporate network.

Only a fraction of devices that are on networks today are properly protected.

Consistant Security Policy Evaluation

Staying ahead of security threats requires ongoing evaluation of security policies and users' actual practices. BYOD and user access practices require significant attention. Utilizing SSL-based security for data encryption will help organizations ensure better security of users and corporate resources.