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How Secure is Your BYOD Environment?

Bring your own device or BYOD is a revolutionary innovation in networking, and it is here to
stay. It can broadly be defined as a program that provides device-independence to end-users.
Due to the increased use of smartphones, organizations have inevitably implemented the BYOD
concept in their networking strategies. According to Gartner, it is expected that by 2016, four out
of 10 organizations shall rely exclusively on BYOD, meaning that the organizations won’t
provide any devices to their employees. Moreover, 85% of companies are expected to have
some form of BYOD in place by 2020. Interestingly, small- and medium-sized businesses are
taking advantage of this growing trend. In 2013, 62% of small- and medium-sized businesses
had an official BYOD policy in place, as reported by iGR.

BYOD Rewards
With the ability to access corporate resources from anywhere, at any time, BYOD brings an
array of benefits to organizations. When employees use their own devices for personal and
business use, productivity increases while employee attrition rate decreases.

Businesses can transfer operational expenses to the user while optimizing revenues. At the
same time, BYOD offers mobility to corporate resources. Overall, BYOD is a win-win situation
for employees as well as businesses.

Along with the benefits come the risks. The versatility in models and operating systems makes it
more difficult for IT staff to manage each device with a comprehensive policy. Most of the time,
the employee owns and maintains the device, and the company has less control over it than if it
were company-owned.

Data Management Issues
The past few years have seen rapid implementation of both BYOD and cloud networks in
organizations of all sizes. With mobile and cloud data storage solutions, it has become difficult
to manage and track data. New devices come with large storage capacities and have the ability
to connect instantly to the internet and social networks.

Huge volumes of data - over which organizations have little control - are stored on these
devices. It is not easy to distinguish between work data and personal data. Organizations that
do not have the infrastructure to monitor data movement rely on third-party solutions to do so.
Data Compliance Issues

With the increased incidence of identity theft and phishing scams everywhere, government
authorities have come up with strict regulations for data management. The UK Data Protection
Act of 1998 is an example. This Act regulates data collection and storage. While there is no

65 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – December 2014 Edition
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