What is BYOD?
Bring your own device (BYOD) is a phrase that has become widely adopted in the business environment. It refers to employees and associates who bring their own computing or smart devices e.g. smartphones, notebooks, laptops and tablets with them to work, and connect them to the corporate network. However, in many cases, they and their companies are not maintaining the devices, and the applications on them, properly. Only about 49% of businesses have a BYOD security management program in place.
Many security professionals have already learned the disconcerting implications of enterprise data access. These arise from a groundswell of consumer owned devices, and the difficulty of determining which devices are accessing which systems and data. Whether the employee owned hardware and software is supported or not, it poses a security risk to the organization, if they connect to the corporate network and access sensitive corporate data.
BYOD Cons
Security, including malware and viruses, is the most often cited reason for why BYOD is not allowed by many companies. Bandwidth requirements are increased and can result in a performance decline in some applications. This can affect a company by lowering overall productivity. This is confirmed by the recent IPass Mobile Workforce Report released in June, which shows 41% of employees are unproductive for a good 10% of their workday when wireless is lacking. This is the equivalent of 251 lost hours, or more than a month of lost productivity, per year per worker.
BYOD Pros
Although most companies are not open to BYOD, they are beginning to incorporate some of these technologies into the business process. Many are still confused when it comes to adopting BYOD policy. The BT Cisco survey shows that 49% of US organizations are likely to have policies in place, but that still leaves more than half without a plan. Majority also cites benefits of BYOD as follows:
- Enables associates to be more productive
- Enables associates to better serve customers
- Enables associates to work with more flexibility
- Improves associates work/life balance
- Helps to attract and retain top talent
With today’s technology and its resulting business challenges, we can lessen the risk of negative effects of BYOD in your company. By deploying the right security measures, you can enjoy the benefits of BYOD. We can help you learn how you can adopt BYOD without putting your business at risk. We have the perfect solution. Call us anytime at 630-365-0025.
