Loading...Thanks to innovations in affordable mobile technology, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives are fast becoming commonplace amongst businesses with an eye on the future.
If you’re a little slow on this particular development, BYOD is the trend of employees taking their own mobile devices to work and using them to access their email accounts, company servers, personal applications and other forms of data.
Of course, there are clear advantages to be had by allowing staff to use technology they’re comfortable with in the office. Workers will opt to use their laptops and tablets because they prefer to. This in turn can possibly contribute to positive worker satisfaction and enhanced levels of productivity.
The world of BYOD is far from plain sailing, though, and there are many risks that come with letting mobile devices into an office network. Here are just a few, paired with tips on how you can prevent a problem from occurring…
Stolen device
A shiny iPad or iPhone hardly looks inconspicuous when accidentally left in a car. Mobile devices can be sold easily by criminals given their high demand, which is why few will pass on the opportunity of stealing one for themselves. A connected device however could be worth more than a couple of hundred pounds. Company or employee data could potentially be compromised as a result of a laptop or tablet being stolen. As a result, protection is needed.
You might be aware of other measures to take, but benefits of mobile device management include being able to keep track of any stolen devices and always lead the police to their whereabouts if necessary. In the meantime, any sensitive information on the device can be locked, swiped or reset, subsequently limiting the damage caused.
Infected device
Then there’s the other type of criminal, this time of the cyber variety. New forms of sophisticated malware, bugs and other viruses are being created by their thousands every day. If an unprotected device comes under attack without the user knowing, they’re unlikely to give a second thought when hooking it up to their office network. This in turn connects the cyber criminal up to the banks of data within.
Businesses can avoid this by acknowledging how much their company is worth. Advanced security systems like endpoint security are always available should they wish to safeguard their network or keep track of suspicious activity. They just have to deem such an investment worthy.
Departing worker
Finally, companies must protect their assets against any former employees. In the event that a worker is let go, segregating and obtaining data could prove problematic. A policy should therefore be in place to govern how data is retrieved from a personal device, ensuring that the company is always safe from rogue members of staff.