Mobile devices continue to become our main source of productivity throughout our lives. Making phone calls and checking email are one thing but now we can browse full web pages and even edit documents. Mobile apps make our lives easier and…well…more mobile.

In todays world it is hard to find a task that cannot be completed in the palm of your hand. We can now conduct entire business meetings from an iPad, monitor our servers remotely through our smartphones, and take care of our banking and finances all while on the run. This could be a fatal mistake if we are not careful. We need to slow down for a minute and consider some serious security implications of our mobile actions.

Physical security of these devices is key when talking about mobile security. As smartphones get smaller and smaller and our technology keeps up with Moore's Law, we must keep in mind that these devices now become more susceptible to theft. Just think of how easy it is to slip your phone into your pocket, this task is just as easy for criminals.

You may think that your smartphone doesn't carry very important information. This is a huge mistake in the mindset of security. Soon our smartphones will carry more than just our contacts, photos and web access. They will be our main form of identification, our car key, our credit card, and our login token. Google and Apple have already began work on this theory of eliminating passwords and using our mobile phones for complete authentication.

Failing to protect your mobile devices could also soon be hazardous to your health. As medial records continue to transition from paper to digital form we will soon be seeing all of our medical information flashing across our smartphone screens. This is not something you can afford to lose or have maliciously altered. 

Mobile apps still don't stop there. We all know that the banking industry has already taken a huge turn towards mobility. But have you heard you can even file your taxes on your smartphone? Intuit reports that as of February 2011 350,000 downloads of its SnapTax application are already in use by iPhone and Android customers. Thats right, you can even file your taxes on your smartphone. No more trips to the library or even to your computer. 

So what if you lose your phone or it gets stolen? There are options to secure yourself. These options include a growing list of mobile encryption programs. You may also want to check out Apple's Find My iPhone app as well as the beta third party Android version Mobile Defense. These apps, and many like them, are like LoJack for your mobile devices. Lost devices can be located, wiped and protected all from remote locations using these innovative security apps.

These topics barely break the surface of mobile security. Physical security is one small aspect of securing your smartphone. Stay tuned for more information on mobile app security including Cloud computing and how it will affect your smartphone security.