Understanding Bring Your Own Device
Many professions work on the go and need mobile solutions that work for the company and the employee. Using personal devices for corporate needs is a solution that more companies are embracing. It offers benefits for both the employee and the company, but some issues need to be addressed before it becomes the right choice for your business.
In a world where seemingly everyone has a device they bring everywhere, how can you make this trend work for your business while keeping your IT infrastructure from being infiltrated by malicious entities? By instituting a conscientious and thorough Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy, your company can make your staff’s devices work for your company.
The Risks of BYOD
Every device that connects to your corporate network is a potential threat. These devices provide a way in for any malicious intent. Employees feel more comfortable with their own personal devices, and that comfort can lead to lax security measures. The staff also experiences more freedoms on their personal devices, which increases the risk of malicious software being installed in error.
Policies to Protect Your Business
BYOD policies can expose your business to risks, but companies are still moving in that direction. That is because the benefits to the company outweigh the risks, especially when companies take the time to mitigate those risks through policies. Here are the common topics your policies should address to mitigate the risks from BYOD:
Who owns what – Defining ownership of the apps, data, and the device itself is critical to having a successful BYOD policy. It is a balance between letting your employees keep their own personal device and ensuring that the company is protected.
Define the service policies – Your IT staff still needs to interact with BYOD users. It is important that your staff and IT providers know where the line between personal and corporate support is.
Security requirements – Minimum password length, complexity, and other considerations need to be outlined clearly. This ensures your employees continue to use safe device management, even if they are using personal devices.
List of acceptable devices – Trying to provide support and compatible apps across all available devices is a challenge. Limiting the type of acceptable devices ensures that company required apps work well with the devices being used. It also helps to keep security measures tight and up to date.
These points are some of the high-level issues that must be addressed through your BYOD policies that effectively manage personal devices accessing corporate computer systems.
How Your Managed Service Provider Can Help
The answer to this question is to take the benefits of BYOD and then use policies to mitigate the risks that come with employee owned devices. MitechOne helps you create the governing policies that keep your company safe. Companies that provide IT support are familiar with the risks BYOD brings to your company. These companies also have experience in dealing with mitigation strategies that work.
Managing all the BYOD policies is not a simple task. MitechOne can help you define and communicate policies that reduce your risks. MitechOne provides services to support your BYOD policies. To learn more about our company, contact us today at 844-MITECH1