Smartphones…not so smart now

It’s the age of the Smartphone.  The market is saturated with them whether it’s the iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre, Samsung…the list goes on.  And if you don’t have one you’re probably planning on getting one.

The beauty of these models is you can do everything on the go – check emails, send texts, make calls, surf the net and even arrange your schedule.  It’s like carrying a mini laptop in your pocket.

But the problem with having so much information stored on your phone is that you have so much information stored on your phone.

Take a minute and think about how much personally identifiable information is on your phone.  Portable devices carry personal data relating to recent calls made, photos, emails, route from home to work, stored texts which are all potentially comprising data.

Now imagine your phone is lost or stolen.

Scary thought isn’t it.  Especially if you use the phone for business.

But it’s not just theft and loss that are dangerous.  Even the simply upgrading your phone can be hazardous.  Has your phone been completely wiped of all data?  That’s the risk you take when you hand in your old phone over for a shiny new replacement.

It is important, especially for those who store both personal and work related information on their smartphones, to ensure the data is secure.  It’s not enough to shred the storage devices from servers, laptops and PC’s, these handheld devices also need to be physically destroyed if they are no longer used.

It is vital that all categories of personally identifiable information are securely disposed of.

A new report from consultancy PwC this week found that a company’s employees are its best defence against security threats, and should be empowered and educated about technology risk including mobile phones.

So let’s all start by taking much more ‘personal accountability’ by looking after portable business data as carefully as you would your own personal filing cabinet.  You wouldn’t leave your last itemised phone bill, bank details, personal address book or photos lying around would you?

And beware of the honey trap.  Just ask Gordon Brown’s aide about securing his BlackBerry.