All too often, a desire for digital simplicity creates missed opportunities for small businesses.

For example, most businesses want better security, but the added complexity and financial costs that come with securing data and devices can prevent SMBs from pursuing this objective aggressively. Small and medium businesses tend to have small IT departments, and those departments often need to pick their battles.

How big of a concern? According to Verizon’s 2020 Mobile Security Index Report, 39 percent of companies admitted to having suffered a compromise that included a mobile device. It’s definitely something that should be on the minds of IT administrators.

Before spring 2020, many organizations didn’t let people work from home for one reason: security.

Sure, business leaders also may have had concerns about potential issues with productivity and collaboration if people weren’t in an office. But perhaps more than anything, there was concern about the heightened possibility of critical data breaches.

The coronavirus pandemic, of course, left many companies with few, if any, other options. In March, managers were forced to send employees home to comply with regional lockdowns and protect the safety of their workers. For the most part, organizations have been pleasantly surprised with the ability of their employees to work productively outside the office. And, with a few exceptions, organizations are also largely finding that their technology tools are up to the task of keeping their environments secure.

In particular, Cisco Systems has gone to great lengths to make enterprise security a key component of the popular collaboration platform Webex. Here are some important features to be aware of that are helping keep organizations safe.

Managing a mobile computing environment was already complex enough at the beginning of this year. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, driving many employees (and their mobile devices) out of the office and into their homes, limiting the visibility and control of IT teams.

Most enterprises were already getting on board with unified endpoint management tools, recognizing the need for a common platform to help them manage their fleets of smartphones, tablets and notebook computers, along with associated mobile apps and content. But for organizations that were dragging their feet with UEM, 2020 has served as a wake-up call about the importance of these tools.

For organizations still looking for the right fit, here are four ways that UEM solutions can help navigate these challenging times.

The coronavirus crisis has illustrated the importance of mobility to business operations in nearly all sectors. Organizations have been forced to provide access to data and systems to far more employees working remotely than at any point in the past. During the crisis, organizations have sought to use mobile applications to create a competitive advantage.

Still, many organizations struggle with optimizing their mobile apps. Too often, mobile apps lack the visibility and controls to ensure that users have the best possible experience — and to ensure that the app is providing the business with as much value as possible.

Here are three areas that companies should be sure to tackle as they seek to get the most out of their mobile apps.

It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a major technological advance comes along at just the right time — for instance, when devices compatible with the IEEE 802.11ax wireless standard (or, Wi-Fi 6, the latest upgrade in wireless networking) come on the market just as a pandemic forces a massive shift to remote operations.

Wi-Fi 6 is more than a slight upgrade. The newest wireless standard offers faster data transfers, higher capacity and greater power efficiency that could extend battery life by 30 to 50 percent. Users will experience better performance on any Wi-Fi 6-enabled device, but optimal performance occurs when connecting over Wi-Fi 6-enabled routers and access points.

Here’s why Wi-Fi 6 is an ideal fit for today’s mobile-first operations — no matter where users are located.

Most organizations spend massive amounts of time, energy and financial resources trying to make their corporate networks as secure and reliable as possible.

That’s important, of course — necessary, even. But it’s no longer sufficient.