Bring your own device, or BYOD, is the new trend in business and it looks like it is here to stay. BYOD is a term given to the use of mobile devices by employees and this new trend comes with both risks and rewards.
As I sit in my local Starbucks working on this post, my attention is grabbed by two women at a nearby table. Their laptops sit on the table, case to case, and it is obvious from their conversation that they are in the midst of working. Discussion involves customers and co-workers, and no doubt, they are using their laptops to be productive. This is a case of BYOD – and one of the rewards is readily evident – they are able to work together and enjoy an espresso drink at the same time! No office space is required, they are relaxed, and it sounded like this was one stop on the way to an afternoon of appointments.
A few years ago this wouldn’t even be possible, but the growth of:
- the Web
- wireless connectivity
- and mobile devices
has not only made it possible but even desirable because BYOD affords flexibility and freedom – but what are the risks to businesses?
According to CRN.com, employees who BYOD put their companies at risk in the following ways:
- Technologically savvy employees can create workarounds on their devices that allow them to remove limitations on the devices that may allow them to be more efficient, but may also remove layers of security. These same tech savvy employees may also find ways to bypass company restrictions allowing them to access company resources remotely.
- They may fail to update the security software on their devices leaving them vulnerable.
- They may access wireless networks that are unsecured to retrieve and access corporate information and open themselves to a man-in-the-middle attack.
- They may not have password protected their devices, leaving the device vulnerable to someone opening their emails, contact database and more.
- They could unknowingly expose their device to adware and spyware.
- They may allow too many permissions to access their devices when downloading applications.
- They could use cloud based storage services, like Dropbox, to store sensitive company information.
- They could be exposed to malware if using Android based devices because malware on these devices is on the rise.
- Finally, losing a device, to negligence or theft, is probably the biggest threat to a business whose employees store company information and access information to company servers on their personal devices.
Business owners and managers can start protecting themselves, their company and customer information by first being aware of BYOD and then putting policies in place to protect their sensitive data.
In addition to data containing devices currently in-use, business owners and managers should always have a policy in place regarding the secure disposition of outdated and unused data containing devices. One good policy would be to transfer liability of data destruction to an independent, professional company rather than handle this process in-house. Contact us to find out how cost effective our data destruction services are – probably less than the hourly cost of an employee’s time – and how we can transfer some of that liability from your company to ours.