A lost smartphone or laptop can spell data disaster. But there are steps travelers can take to mitigate the risk
In his Poor Richard’s Almanack of 1735, Benjamin Franklin quipped, “Three may keep a secret if two are dead.” The meaning, of course, is that the best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself. In the world of business, however, secrets – or any information – are only valuable if they can be shared, with the right people at the right time. So business intelligence needs to be accessible, and for business travelers that means it has to be available when they’re away from the office on the road.
Unfortunately that also means making sensitive information vulnerable to exposure, loss or even theft. Furthermore when it comes to data breaches, one of the main causes is blunders on the part of the very employees who are entrusted to keep the information safe. That’s one of the findings of latest Security Tracker survey conducted by Ipsos for Shred-it, the information security company.
The report found that nearly half of C-suite executives (47 percent) surveyed reported that human error or accidental loss by an employee was the cause of a data breach. Among small business owners the total was almost as high (42 percent). In addition, over a quarter of C-suites executives (28 percent) and nearly one in five small business owners (17 percent) reported human error or accidental loss by an external vendor caused their organization to suffer a data breach.
"The study's findings clearly show that seemingly small habits can pose great security risk and add up to large financial, reputational and legal risks," says Monu Kalsi, vice president, Shred-it. "Through consistent training and education, businesses of all sizes can take back ownership of information security and create a more security-minded work culture among their employees."
Of special concern to employers are employees working remotely or off-site. The survey found 86 percent of corporate executives and 60 percent of small business owners say the risk of a data breach is higher when employees work off-site than when they work at the office. However, despite security risks, just over a third (35 percent) of small businesses have a policy in place for storing or disposing of confidential information while working off-site, and over half (54 percent) have no policy in place at all.
Larger corporations fare better in the survey; the majority have an information security plan in place, including training employees to keep sensitive information out of sight when working in public spaces, avoiding the use of public WiFi, identifying fraudulent e-mails, and providing guidance on how to report lost or stolen electronic devices.
But despite the training, corporate workers continue to lose computers and mobile devices and/or leave them vulnerable to theft. Around half of corporate executives surveyed (49 percent) indicate their company has had employees who lost their company laptop or had it stolen. The incidence of company mobile phones going missing was nearly as high (43 percent). Interestingly, small business employees were much less likely to see their laptops lost or stolen (7 percent) or company mobile phone (9 percent) suffer the same fate.
The most chilling statistic however was the finding that nearly one in five corporations (17 percent) and small businesses (18 percent) suffered a data breach due to an employee losing or having sensitive information stolen.
Improving the OddsThe mobile phone has pretty much become the lifeline for the business traveler, so it’s little wonder that they are somewhat less likely than a laptop to be compromised. But for corporate travelers the percentages from smartphone loss and theft are still too high.
To help road warriors safeguard their indispensable mobile appendages, Asurion, which provides device protection and tech help services globally, has tested some techniques travelers can use to enhance the likelihood that their phones would be returned. In the experiment, smartphones were "lost" on purpose in three major cities across the US.
The test involved leaving smartphones at key locations in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta, including the beach, popular parks, and on public transit to emulate common real-life scenarios. Half of the phones were left with the screen locked with a contact number displayed right on the screen, while the other half were left unlocked with a contact phone number listed within the phone's contact list. The result: Locked phones which have a contactnumber clearly visible on the device's lock screen were three times more likely to be returned to their owners.
According to a recent Asurion survey, 71 percent of Americans lock their smartphones with passcode, fingerprint or facial recognition protection. "It's great that a majority of Americans keep their phones locked with a passcode, but that makes it nearly impossible for a Good Samaritan to return it to you," said Bettie Colombo, Asurion spokesperson. "Adding an image on the lock screen that includes an 'if lost' contact number or e-mail address makes it easier for someone to return it to you. Our data shows this simple trick will greatly increase your chances of getting your phone back if you lose it."
Adding your contact number or e-mail address to a photo is easy, according to Asurion tech experts. One way is to take an Instagram Story with your photo choice and add in contact info. Download the image to your phone. From there, go to Settings – Wall Paper and Themes. Select your downloaded image, then press Set as Wallpaper – Lock Screen.
They also advise enabling Find My Phone or similar service such as the Google app Find My Device. Don’t assume this is automatically activated with every phone; it will need to be manually turned on in their phone settings.
Finally, if you lose your phone, don't assume the worst thinking there's little chance of getting it back. Try calling the establishment where you think you may have left it, the sooner the better. During Asurion's experiment, it heard from many organizations that had drawers full of lost phones waiting for owners to reclaim them.