How to Protect Your Business Smartphone from Damage, Hackers and Thieves

Your smartphone isone of the most precious things you happen to own. You spend almost every waking moment with it by your side — it even sits on your bedside table when you sleep, waiting to sound off the alarm when the sun rises. It cost you a small fortune when you first bought it, and you’d hate to see all that money go to waste. That’s why you should follow these tips to keep your device safe and sound.

How to keep it safe from physical damage:

Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. You can spend your savings on a gorgeous smartphone and then drop it on a hardwood floor a week later.

You should get an impact proof screen protector for your device to protect it from clumsy mistakes that can have expensive consequences. A Prism screen protector is made from a dual-layer glass hybrid, which can endure some serious impact. After a bubble-free application, you can be confident that your phone is secure. You won’t feel your heart stop when you watch it fall from your fingertips.

As an additional safeguard, you should get a grippy case. It will be more than an extra layer of protection. The specific texture and design will guarantee that your device stays glued to your hand.

How to keep it safe from robbers:

The sad truth is that you can’t completely protect your smartphone from being stolen unless you decide to lock yourself in a tower and live as a hermit. There is always a risk that a stranger will take your device to keep for themselves or to sell on the black market.

What you can do is limit that risk by not leaving your smartphone unattended. You wouldn’t leave your wallet sitting on the coffee shop table while you get up to go to the bathroom — take it with you. Instead of tucking your phone into the back pocket of your jeans, keep it in a secure spot that’s not as visible, like inside a purse or satchel.

It’s still possible that someone catches you in a moment of vulnerability and snatches your phone. The only thing you can do then is to protect all of the information inside of it. A good first step is to use a lock screen to keep the stranger from accessing your sensitive information. If it has a fingerprint sensor, use that as your primary lock. Unless you’re dealing with someone straight out of Mission Impossible, they won’t be able to mimic your print.

You can track a stolen phone using applications like Find my iPhone or Find My Device. These applications will let you remotely lock your device and erase the contents after it’s been lost or stolen. The thief may have the smartphone, but at least they won’t have any information that can hurt you further — this could be your home address, your contacts, your banking information, sensitive photos and more. If you cannot find your phone, but you know for sure that you left it nearby, use the free callmyphone.org service that will call your phone and you can easily find it.

How to keep it safe from hackers:

With the help of technology, criminals don’t need to be bold enough to snatch something out of your hands. They can make their attacks without a physical confrontation. They can reach your valuables while sitting safely behind a screen in the comfort of their own home.

Many of the steps that will protect your phone from hackers will protect your phone from thieves and pickpockets. Start by giving your phone a passcode for the lock screen. If you’re using a passcode or word, make sure that it’s not an easy guess like your phone number, birthday or pet’s name.

Make separate folders for applications with sensitive information, like banking and financial management apps. Secure those with passcodes. As an added precaution, make the passcode different from the one on the lock screen. If your smartphone doesn’t offer this option, you can download apps like Keepsafe Photo Vault or Folder Lock.  

Check to see if the operating system is up-to-date. Your smartphone has system updates to patch up bugs and any vulnerabilities that hackers will take advantage of. Make a habit of accepting every system update from now on, instead of waving off the notification and telling yourself you’ll remember to do it later.

You should know about hacking warning signs so that you recognize the problem right away:

  • Your battery is draining faster than usual
  • Your data usage has mysteriously increased
  • You can hear background noises during phone calls

When someone purchases an important financial investment like a car, they take precautions to keep it safe. They drive responsibly to avoid accidents and they lock the doors to keep thieves out. Apply this mentality for your smartphone and put in the effort to protect it from physical damage and criminal activity as soon as possible.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.