Mobile devices increase the productivity of workers around the world, giving them access to corporate information and keeping them connected even while they’re away from the physical office. The productivity increases are real: just turn on the mobile device and get to work.

On the other side of that coin are the IT professionals who are challenged with the difficult task of keeping the virtual office secure and stable. From their perspective, every mobile device is a potential network security leak to be plugged and a potential data theft liability. Building a more secure deployment of mobile devices is crucial, but must also be balanced with providing a seamless and intuitive user experience.

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 and its predecessor, Windows Mobile 5.0 with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack, include many features that help you secure corporate infrastructure with minimal difficulty–and with minimal inconvenience for your users. Using Microsoft Exchange Server as the messaging platform further increases the security options available. This article demonstrates how you can use Windows Mobile, Exchange Server, and some network security best practices as a foundation for protecting your company’s mobile devices.