Timesheet mobile App Security
Timewatch’s mobile timesheet app avoids mobile app security pitfalls to keep data safe.
Mobile App Security
Regardless of where you stand on Huawei – the United States has placed the world’s largest telecommunication vendor on its security blacklist while the United Kingdom initially included the Chinese giant in its national 5G infrastructure rollout before reviewing that decision – the issue has certainly shone a light on mobile security and best practices for business around the globe.
Although not directly related to Huawei, which is the second-biggest smartphone maker globally behind only Samsung, Timewatch has a very firm position on mobile security and cybersecurity. Our point of view is more simple than you may think.
Speaking with customers, we also feel our position is even more relevant with more employees using out-of-office devices as workplace behavior adjusts to the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic with increasing remote access.
Timewatch asks this question: why, when smart business users are moving away from Windows or Mac installed applications to browser-based Cloud apps, are people still using downloadable apps for phones and tablets when web apps provide more security?
Fact: Apps are vulnerable to hacks and security breaches
Research by industry security experts Arxan found that it took only 8.5 minutes to hack into 30 financial sector apps and discover 180 vulnerabilities[1]. That is a lot of exposure for data. Another recent report found “insecure data storage is the most common issue, found in 76% of mobile apps”[2]. This puts all the data used by corporate systems that use phone apps at risk.
Importantly, hackers seldom need physical access to a smartphone to steal data: 89 percent of vulnerabilities can be exploited using malware[3]. With mobile apps exposed to high levels of security vulnerability your corporate data is at risk. When Android and iPhone apps store data on phones that can translate to the very definition of a mobile security lapse. IT departments are allocated big budgets for security yet basic security is at risk when apps owned by employees sit on devices that can get lost or stolen and easily compromised.
Browser-based apps are more secure for your business
“Cloud software is incredibly prevalent in PCs and Macs, but when it comes to phones and tablets, people seem stuck in the mindset that they must have a downloadable app,” explains Timewatch CEO Graeme Wright.
“Downloaded apps are inherently high risk as they rely on using the local resources – data stored on the phone so the app can do things faster. Apps don’t really need to download and store data, but it’s easy to develop an app that is fast by storing data locally. It’s much harder to develop a web app that’s as fast, but that’s what we did as we believed that it is worth the effort to create a system that is secure as well as fast.”
Can you timesheet your hours with the timesheet app offline? Yes, but in a corporate environment, mobile apps present a huge risk. An app that downloads data onto a personal device is outside of the protection of the company’s security guidelines. Individuals may have strong passwords on their phones, but they may not, or they may cause security vulnerabilities by not upgrading to new iOS or Android releases. If, or when, an employee’s device is lost or stolen, corporate data in apps will be at risk and potentially breach GDPR and other privacy rules.
In contrast, a web application stores nothing on the device. If an employee’s phone is lost or stolen, there is no data on the device, so there is no security risk.
Our PC and Mobile applications are cloud-based browser applications.
There is nothing installed on devices, so no data to compromise.
“There is just no need to risk corporate data by using downloaded Apps,” says Wright. “With a well-designed mobile web app like Timewatch®, and the speed of phones on 4G, 5G, why risk mobile security by using downloaded and installed apps? Use a Cloud app, just like you would on a PC or laptop.”
“A personal phone may be the biggest risk to a company’s security,” explains Wright. “The Cloud affords better security with end-to-end encryption, and data storage is unquestionably safer in the Cloud than on a private individual’s phone. With our mobile web apps, if anyone loses their phone, there is no data loss as there is nothing stored on your phone. All corporate data is safe and sound in the Cloud.”
Click here (it’s safe!) for more information on secure Timewatch professional services products for your business.
References
1. ^ Araxan, Feb 5, 2020. Financial Mobile App Vulnerability FAQs
2. ^ Positive Technologies, June 19, 2019. Vulnerabilities and threats in mobile applications, 2019
3. ^ ZDNet, June 20, 2019. Three quarters of mobile apps have this security vulnerability that could put your personal data at risk
4. ^TECH Excactly, June 2021y10 Steps on How to Build a Successful Employee Mobile App
These Timewatch Products all have safe, web based mobile apps
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Timesheet app security and mobile app security
Timewatch’s OutlookTime system provides high levels of mobile app security. Whereas downloadable apps store data locally, OutlookTime is cloud-based. With no data stored on the phone or tablet, it offers the highest level of timesheet app security.
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