As a leading BYOD solutions provider, we have seen how bring your own device (BYOD) practices have risen dramatically in the workplace over the last few years. Research suggests that approximately 60% of businesses currently embrace BYOD. With more employees pushing for mobile functionality, connected devices such as mobile phones and tablets are allowing users to integrate their work and personal lives better. In so many instances, this is a tremendous positive, with better access leading to improved efficiency and more positive attitudes towards their work.
Of course, there are severe issues that can arise with the implementation of a BYOD plan. These problems point to the next big focus of BYOD practices: security of data and devices. Understanding mobile security and how it relates to personal devices is critical to ensure staff safety and business protection as well.
Malware and Data Breaches
Malware and data breaches are the primary security concerns for business’ mobile devices, with data breaches occurring at a far more alarming rate than previously experienced. In the past, electronic security for organisations has primarily focused on networked IT infrastructures, allowing for simple unified security solutions. With the rise of BYOD practices, the landscape IT security has changed dramatically, forcing organisations to rethink their systems and procedures of protection. With employee-focused mobile devices, there are no standardised security protocols, nor are there any unified platform or device models; everything has changed.
While there are no standardised practices, one alternate solution is mobile device management (MDM), a burgeoning area of IT protection across the industry. MDM strategies are a big-picture approach to mobile security that uses comprehensive lifecycle management for device content, access and authentication, and the device itself. For the most part, companies utilise MDM solutions when they offer personal mobile devices to employees for business use, but there is a push to find ways to create MDM solutions for BYOD practices as well.
Device Theft
While technological incursion is most popular for hackers, device theft is an equally damaging threat to organisational security, especially in BYOD environments. The implementation of remote locking and data wipe capacities are the most fundamental of security protocols that are standard practice across the industry to combat device theft. Of course, these solutions aren’t ideal, as it can impact on staff privacy and content protection on personal devices that are also used in a work capacity.
Remote locking is the less invasive of the two options, merely allowing the company to remove sensitive files and disable the employee’s device, allowing for the potential for recovery. Of course, this still allows for potential breach, and can often not be successful. Data wiping is the more comprehensive solution of the two options, but is far more severe, deleting all files and data from the device, making it unrecoverable should the device be retrieved.
Bring Your Own Devices Today
BYOD is here to stay for the foreseeable future, with the benefits for both organisations and staff a terrific success. In response, smart companies will create solutions that allow employees to use their own devices for work while still protecting company data. If your company is looking for BYOD solution or security, we’d love to have a chat.
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