20+ Free Tools to secure, backup, and empower Smartphones

In the current age, most people are using a smartphone for both personal and professional purposes. A large number of OS available for these devices only complicates matter for security admins. Each smartphone is at security risk though

there could be debates whether you require security apps or need to add more policiesj. We suggest a mix

and match approach.

Since the introduction of BYOD concept, plenty of employers and employees have benefited from it. But, no one can deny the risk associated with it, as BYOD can lead to data breaches and increased liability for the organization.

6  Free Tools to Secure Devices and Reduce BYOD Risks

In the BYOD concept, several breaches are possible and if you want to be ready to fight them then these 6 tips should serve as a best practices guide for end users and IT/security teams alike.

• Always use password protected access controls, which may seem obvious, but setting a password/ PIN is a critical first step in BYOD security that many users choose to ignore.

• You should keep your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off when not in use. Use secure wireless network, and only connect your device to trusted networks.

• Most of the devices come with built-in access control features. Users should optimize the access control

and app permission settings so that each application can access only what it needs to function and

nothing more.

• Ensure to keep your OS, firmware, software, and applications updated in real-time, as software updates often contain security patches to protect users from the latest threats or exploits.

• You should periodically back up the device’s data, this will greatly reduce the fallout should a device be lost

or stolen.

• You should enable anti-theft, find my device and remote wipe services, this will enable you to track a missing device, and wipe a device’s data remotely in the event of a lost or stolen device.

6 Best Security Apps for Mobile Devices

As the risks are increasing day-by-day, developers are also improving their apps to keep pace with the new threats. Still new threats keep emerging. So, to protect against them, there are plenty of security apps available, and you might get confused choosing the best one for your needs. So, here are 6 best apps to secure your smart-device.

360 Security (Platform: iOS/Android)

The latest 360 Security app has several new features to secure your device from threats. It has a good blend of usability and protection. It offers smooth performance and a host of extra features as well. It also optimizes your background apps, memory space, junk (cache) files and battery power, while keeping your device safe from viruses and trojans. This also has an anti-theft solution that includes, Erase, Locate, Alarm and Lock features that assist you with retrieving a lost device and protecting personal data. You can scan installed apps and local APK files in real time and also monitor each installation process.

Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus

Avast Security app is offering an impressive range of tools. It has anti-virus protection, it scans your apps to provide details on what they are doing, and it has a Web shield that scans URLs for malware. If you have a rooted device then there’s also a firewall that allows you to control network traffic. You can block access to Wi-Fi or the network for specific apps which is handy for security and potentially saves battery juice as well. It also bundled with an anti-theft feature that lets you locate your lost device, control it remotely, and much more.

ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus

With the strong detection rate, this security app has an easy-to-use interface. The app comes with a suite of anti-theft tools. This enables you to remotely locate and lock your smartphone or tablet, and you can prevent anyone from uninstalling apps using password protection.

eScan - Mobile Anti-virus

eScan Mobile Anti-virus and Security for Android protects your device against evolving cyber threats, thus ensuring you its uninterrupted usage. It restricts unauthorized access of data, in case the device is lost or stolen. It allows remote blocking, data wiping, SIM watching and even helps to locate the phone through GPS finder. Also, the app comes with parental control featuring enabling you to block specific websites and applications.

Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus

This is a powerful yet light and fully featured security app. Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus app offers flawless malware protection and robust privacy protection. It incorporates Android Wear watches into its anti-theft features. It’s “Web Security” detects malicious content and keeps your browsing safe. It also features Anti-Theft that enables you to lock, geo-locate, sound an alarm, and wipe your Android from any Internet-connected device.

McAfee Security & Anti-virus

McAfee has several impressive features with an intuitive interface. This easy to use app offers anti-theft and privacy-protection features. This protects and enhances your smartphone or tablet’s performance with anti-theft, find the device, app privacy protection, anti-virus, performance optimization, and security features from Intel Security.

4 Best Backup Apps to Keep Your Data Safe

Whether you are using your device for personal or professional use, your data is always precious for you. It’s a smart choice to have the backup of all your device’s data so that you can get them in the case of theft or damage. Here are some of the four best backup apps to help keep your data safe.

CM Backup

CM Backup can be used to back up device data such as contacts, messages, call logs, bookmarks, calendar info, alarms, and user dictionaries. It also offers a cloud solution so you’ll be backing up to their cloud and restoring from there. Using the web interface, you can manage your backups. You can enable the ‘Scheduled backup’ to automatically backup important items every day.

Helium

Using Helium, you can backup and restore your apps to your computer or your device depending on your preferences. You can also sync apps between Android devices and backup to and restore from cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive). It lets you backup your apps and data to your SD card or cloud storage.

MyBackup

MyBackup enables you to back up your apps, photos, music, videos, and the usual assortment of stuff like call logs, SMS, and system settings. You can backup to your device or external SD card. You can also schedule multiple automatic backups with this app.

truBackup

The simple backup solution “truBackup” does the usual stuff along with apps and music which sets it apart from most of the others. The app enables a user to schedule the backup as well as the option to upload the data to various cloud storage sites along with the external SD card.

Top 4 Enterprise Messaging Apps

In the mobility era, almost every employee and employer is looking for the best way to be in touch. Nowadays, communication is not only calls over the phone, it means a lot more and new age communication apps are taking it to a new height. Here we brings four best enterprise communication apps for you...

Jive Chime

Jive Chime allows employees and employers to start a conversation anytime and anywhere. You can get the answers you need, when you need them. With one-to-one and group messaging, you won’t have to waste time tracking people down, wait around for responses, or be tied to your desk.

Cisco Jabber

Cisco Jabber is made for quick conversations. This app provides presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, voice messaging, and video calling capabilities on Android devices. Escalate your Jabber calls into multi-party conferencing with Cisco WebEx Meetings. This integrated collaboration experience works with both on premise and cloud-based collaboration architecture.

Fleep

Fleep app can make your life easier by empowering you to chat without boundaries, maintain your focus throughout the day and to work smarter. It is an easy to use enterprise communication app that simplifies your conversations by bringing all your team chats and business emails in one place. Fleep is perfect for teams or those working independently across a variety of projects.

Teamchat

The enterprise messaging app enables business to messaging among teams of any size by structuring the messages to reduce clutter. This is done through “smart” messages that aggregate, organize and summarize the responses, updating themselves without adding new messages to the conversation stream. Examples include polls, surveys, sales reports, registration forms, lookups and more.