The importance of next-level security for modern, mobile agents
With 81% of Americans now relying on smartphones, agents know mobile has become a mandatory channel for connecting with customers.
Today’s consumers increasingly use mobile devices to monitor social feeds, research services, products and providers, communicate with contacts via text and voice, and much more.
At the same time, it is estimated that there will be 20.4 billion connected devices in 2020, 3.1 billion of which will be used specifically in vertical lines of business — and with good reason. Frost & Sullivan found that using mobile devices for work saves employees 58 minutes per day while increasing productivity by 34%.
Mobile is particularly vital for agents. As predictive and self-serve technologies mature and make their way into the insurance landscape, these tools are forcing the roles of agents to evolve, and agents face enormous pressure to show their worth. A McKinsey & Company study underscores the point that “agents will be compensated only for the unique value they deliver to the customer and the carrier.”
Within this context, is it any wonder that agents are increasingly reliant on mobile channels to acquire and retain customers? Mobile offers agents the opportunity to provide differentiated levels of personal service while reaching a greater number of people with increased efficiency.
But, with this dependence on mobility, there are complications. Namely, how do agents keep client data secure in addition to following compliance requirements amidst growing cyber threats?
The client data conundrum
Just as mobile devices have penetrated everyday life, there has been a drastic rise in cyber crime. A recent Symantec study shows that there was a 600% increase in cyber attacks against IOT devices and a 54% increase in mobile malware variants that employees or agents might innocently click on from their personal email or apps. Cyber crime is an enormous issue, given that damages are expected to hit $6 trillion by 2021.
These numbers have massive implications for organizations. According to a report from Willis Towers Watson, two-thirds (66%) of cyber breaches are the result of employee negligence or malicious intent. Lost or stolen phones can easily compromise sensitive data, as can an unauthorized user, such as a spouse or a child who gains access to the device. Additionally, IT teams now have to contend with a whole host of security threats from other apps employees may have on their phones, and most IT teams are not set up to deal with this kind of volume.
Technologies empower modern agents
The banking industry has been one of the earliest to grapple with this problem. In its report on Selected Cybersecurity Practices, FINRA acknowledges that, “Firm and personal mobile devices are exposed to risks including, but not limited to, malicious advertisements and spam communication; infected, cloned or pirated mobile applications; vulnerabilities in mobile operating systems; and phishing, spoofing or rerouting of calls, emails and text messages,” and that these risks increase with greater exposure to retail customers. It goes on to highlight several best practices for employees, including mobile device management (MDM) applications, password standards, and strict time-out policies for non-usage.
Fortunately for agents and insurance organizations, new technologies are making a tremendous impact by simplifying these best practices. Technology vendors also are learning that security features used in other sectors, such as banking, can be applied to insurance — specifically biometric and PIN-based security features.
Leading insurance organizations are already using technology to power workflows and applications that lead to better relationships with clients, such as integrating compliant text communications, enhancing social content, and reaching out at the moments that matter most in a client’s life. With biometrics and in-app PIN features, now they also can embrace mobile with confidence because additional layers of protection have been added to the device without requiring further management.
These technologies leverage the user’s preferred security method on the device, whether it’s facial recognition, the agent’s fingerprint, or an eight-digit pin code, for access to their work applications and sensitive data. Unlocking these apps is near instant, but client and organization data sits behind another wall of security maintained by the technology provider so the agent, client, nor the organization is vulnerable if a device is compromised.
At home, this would mean that an agent’s child who might want to play a game on his or her parent’s phone couldn’t get into the agent’s work systems or start texting or calling clients. Similarly, if an employee left his or her phone in an Uber or on a plane, no one could gain access to work files or systems.
The mobile future
Agents are mobile users just as their customers, and as the lines between work and personal time continue to blur, agents require a single mobile device (and the right applications) to properly segment customer interactions so that they can conduct business securely and compliantly from wherever they are, whenever they need.
Many enterprises have tried implementing strict MDM systems, but in the increasingly BYOD (bring-your-own-device) world of a distributed field team MDM can create additional headaches for both end users and IT. For example, if a user-owned device is fully managed and is lost or stolen then a complete wipe of their device may occur, including their personal content, leaving users frustrated. This drastic control at the device-level by MDM systems is juxtaposed with a lack of control at the application level where many regulated industries actually require the ability to supervise and control the data within specific applications, such as mobile messaging.
Mobile business has become a reality for modern agents. It offers them the opportunity to connect with potential customers and existing clients in a more personal and efficient manner as they further differentiate the value they offer. The organizations that fail to adopt a comprehensive mobile strategy with multiple forms of data protection will be left behind. Fortunately, with new solutions that include robust security features, such as biometrics and in-app PIN requirements, going mobile has never been easier or more secure.
Alex Falls (afalls@hearsaycorp.com) is vice president of Product Management at Hearsay Systems. He is responsible for leading Hearsay’s product vision, direction and development.
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