In today's far-reaching environments, where the numbers and varieties of servers, desktops, laptops, mobile devices and specialized equipment such as point-of-sale (POS) devices, ATMs and self-service kiosks - known collectively as "endpoints" - are growing at unprecedented rates, traditional protection schemes such as firewalls and anti-virus agents are no longer sufficient on their own. With rapidly increasing numbers of remote workers and mobile devices, there is no well-defined perimeter. The perimeter, by necessity, must be the endpoint itself.

Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, enable increasing numbers of employees to work "anywhere, anytime. "The security of enterprise data is a key concern, particularly on mobile devices that are easily lost or stolen. The security risk is further heightened by the proliferation of employee-owned mobile devices in many enterprises. Employees will almost always take the path of least resistance in leveraging mobile devices for business purposes, which may lead to unsafe computing practices. A clearly documented and enforceable mobile security policy is critical to reducing the risk of data loss.