Final answer:
The best MDM configuration to reduce the risk of compromise for a government contracting company's smartphones on foreign soil is to disable location services. This action prevents governmental tracking of employees' movements and protects sensitive corporate information. Other settings like disabling OTA updates and push notifications don't directly address these concerns, and disabling remote wipe could lessen security.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question highlights a scenario where a government contracting company needs to secure smartphones before their employees travel to a foreign country where the government might be interested in their intellectual property. In order to best reduce the risk of compromise while on foreign soil, the most effective Mobile Device Management (MDM) configuration would be to disable location services. This precaution helps to prevent the foreign government from being able to track the movements of the company's employees. Location services can reveal sensitive information about the whereabouts of personnel, which may correlate with the activities and interests of the corporation. It is imperative to consider that disabling over-the-air (OTA) updates and push notification services does not significantly mitigate the risk associated with the company's main concern, which is the tracking and interception of sensitive data. Moreover, disabling the capability to remotely wipe the device could be counterproductive, as this is a crucial feature to ensure that the data on the phone can be deleted in case it gets lost or stolen.
Securing corporate smartphones while traveling is not merely about data integrity but also includes ensuring personnel privacy and company operational secrecy. The use of smartphones, as explored by economist Mariana Mazzucato in The Entrepreneurial State, is deeply influenced by governmental technology developments such as GPS. However, in contexts where the government is a potential threat, leveraging these technologies needs careful consideration.
It is also essential to note that various political decisions affect the usage of smartphones, including bans and regulations on certain apps and services, as highlighted in the introduction text. This illustrates the intersection of technology and politics and emphasizes the need for corporations to be mindful of political landscapes when managing their technological assets.