Data Protection and Bring Your Own Device

BYOD refers to a firm’s policy of allowing employees to use their own personal phones, tablets and laptops for all their work applications. This is a pretty common policy, and it has many benefits, but it brings along risks. How are you addressing these risks?

Here are some of the issues raised by BYOD

1. A lost device – If you issue company phones, you have the ability to remotely wipe the unit clean if it is lost or stolen. With employee’s personal devices, do you should still have that ability–make sure you’ve enabled it. If not, your data is at risk.
2. Software updates – Is the employee responsible for updating all the software and virus protection programs on their own devices? If that responsibility transfers to them, you are at the mercy of their willingness to keep track of such tedious tasks. Most users put a very low priority on such things. If you accept responsibility for it, do you have the in-house staff to handle all the extra work?
3. Backups – with data being entered on many different devices, something must be done to ensure back up procedures are routinely followed. Again, end users tend to forget or ignore recommendations until they lose data. If their system is hit by ransomware or any malware, critical data and device functionality can be lost. The best recourse is fully automated and centrally managed backup solutions.

In short, BYOD is probably an unavoidable approach to device management. It is unrealistic to expect people to carry around 2 different phones or tablets 24/7. But BYOD means extra work for the in-house staff of a small business. To learn more about these risks and a more affordable, comprehensive approach to BYOD Management, see our e-guide Now you see it, There IT…Stays.