Take Your Mobile Security to the Next Level

It is obvious that mobile security has a long way to go before it provides an impenetrable layer of safety. It's not clear that such a level of security is even possible.

It is apparent that mobile security is not all that it can be. The average Android smartphone costs less than $250. At that price point, security is far down the list of priorities for software providers, hardware manufacturers, and mobile service providers.

So if mobile security is important to you, then you need to start with a smartphone platform that takes security as seriously as you do. Right now, that means purchasing an iPhone. You can get Android-based smartphones with a hardened security layer. But that is kludged on after the fact by a third-party vender. That will never be as seamless and secure as an integrated solution.

But picking up an iPhone is just the start. Many people have iPhones. You have to step up your game if you have important and sensitive work to do. Here are a few steps that will move you to the next level of mobile security:

Protect Your Devices

One of the most insecure things you can do is break your secure device. That is because you will have to take it to a repair person and leave the device in their care. if they are capable of repairing the device, they are also capable of accessing any secure data on it.

One of the things you have to do is give the repair person access to your unlock code and perhaps even your Activation Lock code. That is because if something goes wrong with a simple screen repair, they may have to replace the entire display, Home button and all.

Even if you can trust the repair person, they have to write down all the information. Anyone who happens to be in the shop will have access to it. This is why the most security-minded thing you can do is keep your device safe in the first place.

There are many candidates for the best iPhone 6 case. iPhone 6 is still one of the best selling phones in the world. If you are running your mobile business on this device, your secure information is only as safe as the device.

Secure Your Mobile Transactions

We do a lot of business on modern smartphones. Some of that business is in the form of financial transactions. Here is how to secure more confidence in those mobile transactions:

The first thing you need to do is enable two-factor authentication on all of the sites where you do business. If your banking app offers it, use it. You can also enable two-factor authentication for your iCloud and Apple ID accounts. This means that a person will have to do more than know your password to make changes.

With an iPhone, you will also want to use Touch ID: the fingerprint reader built into iOS devices for transactions. That way, if a person happens to gain access to your iPhone, they still will not be able to get into your financial applications.

The list of apps that use Touch ID include PayPal, DropBox, 1 Password, and many others. Protect your transactions by taking security to the next level.

End to End

Mobile communications is not just about talking on the phone. It is also, and mostly about chat and messaging. Depending on what country you happen to be in, innocent messages could have extreme legal ramifications.

iMessage is encrypted. So is WhatsApp. Google originally promised Allo would be encrypted, but reneged on that promise by release. It turns out that Google's business priorities won out over its commitment to user privacy.

When private communications matter, don't go with the default Android messaging app. Seek out an end to end encrypted service. Or just use an iPhone.

Regardless of what country you happen to be in, business is a mobile affair. Security will never be perfect. But you can make it as good as it can get by protecting your devices from damage, using biometric and two-factor for financial applications, and protecting your communications with end to end encryption.