As a mobile-centric company, we bring smartphones and tablets with us everywhere we go, and some of us find it hard to believe we could ever live without them. It’s difficult to remember what it was like, not long ago, when we couldn’t check our email on the fly, and even harder to remember when we had to use a payphone to contact someone.

As we become increasingly dependent on our mobile devices and the functionality of these devices becomes more PC-oriented, we have to consider the greater importance of mobile security. Many of us have our entire lives accessible on our smartphone or tablet, from photos and personal contacts, to passwords and bank accounts. And, subsequently are concerned about this personal data ending up in someone else’s hands. It is also a growing concern for IT managers and companies, who allow employees to use their own mobile devices at work and are conscious of proprietary information being leaked.

Quickoffice recently made a decision to enhance the security of our users by partnering with mobile enterprise management and security software provider, MobileIron. MobileIron’s AppConnect allows enterprises to secure data across the entire lifecycle of mobile apps, from deployment to usage to retirement. MobileIron AppConnect secures both company-developed apps, as well as select third-party apps on the App Store, Android Market and other mobile app distribution services. For Quickoffice, this brings increased security to our applications and essentially, the customers using our apps.  

Further supporting the growing need for additional mobile security measures, CIO recently reported that a researcher who frequently posts on the Reddit security site found more than 50 applications available via the official Android Market contained malware. In addition, these malicious apps may have been downloaded nearly 200,000 times each.

What are some of the precautions you take to secure your mobile device? If you are looking for additional tips, check out our blog post on BYOD policies.