Build a Comprehensive Bring Your Own Device Policy

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is a wonderful
alternative to a business investing in high-end workstations. On one hand, it
can save your business thousands of dollars by having your employees bring
their own devices to the workplace. On the other, it could expose your network
to untold risks. How can you strike a balance between the two and help your
business prosper?

How Can
BYOD Manifest Issues?

Despite the benefits of BYOD, there are
considerable drawbacks that need to be mitigated if you want to maintain an
adequate control over your network security. Here are just a few of the
drawbacks.

Business
and Personal Data Shouldn’t Mix

An employee that uses a mobile device is
almost certainly going to also use it for personal aspects of their lives. With
all this in mind, it’s important to remember that combining personal and
business data will only result in a further blurring of the lines, particularly
in regard to employees that have access to sensitive company data. You need a
policy that will help you eliminate the majority of the risk associated with
BYOD.

Your
Business Will Be Vulnerable to More Threats

A poor-quality BYOD policy will open your
business up to a number of threats that could create considerable issues for
your organization in the near future. If an employee isn’t careful, they may
find themselves exposing devices to unsecured networks or other
vulnerabilities. Malware and viruses are also issues that could take root on
your organization’s network if they are allowed to sprout.

Your
Infrastructure Will Need Reworking

You’ll need to take into account all of the
new devices being brought into your infrastructure, which is likely to add more
traffic and could potentially create problems as it grows. You’ll need to take
this into account when planning out your infrastructure from a BYOD policy
standpoint.

How to
Put Policies in Place

BYOD needs to be governed by very strict
policies. Your employees should need to opt in to your BYOD policy before being
allowed to use their devices for work purposes. Here are a couple we like to
recommend:

• Mobile Device Management and Endpoint Protection: This technology allows your business to place a partition between
  their data and the business’ data, ensuring data privacy for users. If a device
  is stolen, the business’ data can be safe. Endpoint protection software is also
  important, as any device accessing your network represents a threat. This
  software should scan a device and identify if it has been infected.
• Access Control: Not all employees need access
  to the same data. Role-based access controls can help an employee access data
  they need based on their job description and work duties. Some solutions even
  prevent devices that aren’t up-to-date from accessing a network, forcing users
  to think twice before accessing the network with out-of-date software or
  hardware.
• Exit Strategies and Safeguards: What happens
  if the devices used by your business are lost or stolen? Do you have ways to
  cut off access to them? Can you remotely wipe them? You should be able to.
  Whether it’s an employee leaving your business for good or a hacker stealing
  the device, you should have the option of remotely wiping the device to prevent
  data from falling into the wrong hands.

Emerge can help your business plan for a BYOD policy. To learn more, reach out to us at 859-746-1030.