Organizing a mobile workforce requires a certain amount of trust and faith that those workers will do the right thing. Security is a particularly tricky issue in this space because it can hamper productivity and frustrate employees. At the same time, some level of protection is prudent and should scale depending on how exclusive the work is. In other words, if a worker is focused on producing the latest tweak on an instructional brochure, biometric scanners with dynamically generated passwords broadcast to a mobile receiver is generally overkill. That is, unless those instructions are describing how to assemble bleeding edge explosives or specific mechanics behind a unique business model.

Before looking at any technology a frank business discussion is necessary to determine which mobile workers, if any, will engage with a part of the business that is mission critical and must be protected. This includes decisions on whether or not the business will pay for tools like laptops, mobile phones, software and vehicles.

On one end of the spectrum, the employee receives an agreed upon wage and provides all of their own equipment. This is usually a compatible model because it communicates to the employee that they are responsible completely for all of their own decisions. That means handling security threats like viruses and phishing attacks, as well as protecting higher cost items like laptops from theft.

Mobile employees who are closer to the business though may require some additional security. Once again, the key is to make security as smooth as possible so that it protects assets while at the same time feeling transparent to the employee.

I’ve worked in both environments, one where the employer insisted that Novell Netware be installed on my laptop with various security restrictions on what I could install, how long I could use the same password to log in and which types of applications I could install. They also paid for my laptop, software and mobile phone but I found that the restrictions on what software I could install were constantly hampering my ability to perform. There are so many open source applications available that this sort of barrier felt like a handicap. Additionally, support for the equipment was minimal. Calling support on occasion for assistance with updating an existing software package or for assistance to change a setting blocked by Novell Netware always resulted in long hold times and disgruntled helpdesk staff. Everyone seemed aggravated by the underlying business decisions.

But, some businesses take a more laissez faire approach. For example I’ve worked for a company that tasked me with accomplishing a certain number of articles per month and however I accomplished that goal was up to me, my pay stayed the same. This enabled me to use whatever applications and resources that I wanted to online and encouraged a sense of independence and trust. You can guess which employer I worked for longer.

Mobile workers are typically accustomed to, and often insist on, accomplishing goals on their own terms. Companies that seek to overburden them with security restrictions will see short-term and long-term consequences for getting in the way. It’s also difficult to protect against every type of threat, just look at Windows XP and Vista for an example of how a heavy investment in security still results in regular breaches.

The business first has to decide which employees are working with mission critical material, then implement appropriate security that’s effective but seamless as possible.