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Understanding the Risks of Bring your Own Device (BYOD) To

Reap the Rewards

Steven Bearak, CEO of IdentityForce

With the wide spread consumer adoption and popularity of smartphones and the many other
portable mobile devices readily available, it’s only natural that the line between personal use
and workplace use has blurred. Employees are often traveling or telecommuting, so these
devices are now essential for remaining connected. As a result, companies have embraced
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to make it easier for employees to work how, when,
and anywhere they want.

As BYOD has grown massively in popularity, it’s important to know the risks that come along
with it. In fact, according to the US Enterprise Mobility 2017 Report by research firm Strategy
Analytics, mobile security was the greatest concern among surveyed business respondents. It
also found that there are many companies who still do not manage corporate information on
personal devices used within the workplace. BYOD may be a popular strategy, but without
overseeing each and every device, it’s nearly impossible to keep employees secure from
hackers. Any device can be hacked, but it can also be misplaced, lost, or stolen when an
employee is outside the office. Since employees use these devices for work, that means
company data can be lost as well. And, often the data stored in lost or stolen devices can be
used to breach company systems.

Given the risks, a BYOD policy enforced by a corporate HR department, or an HR leader at a
smaller company, is critical to ensuring all personal and company information is protected. IT
departments naturally will become involved in this policy and the following questions should also
be asked:

• How is data protected outside of the company network?
• How do you create standard security protocols across different devices and operating
systems?
• Do we have Mobile Device Management (MDM) software in place to protect data?
• What steps are taken if an employee’s device containing sensitive company information
is stolen or lost?

These questions will help a business develop its BYOD policy and it’s important in today’s digital
business climate to have this in place and revisit it at least every three months. The review
frequency may also need to be shorter if your company is going through any significant change
to your employee population from aggressively hiring, expanding internationally, or perhaps
even undergoing a staff reduction. Employees can often be your first line of defense around
upholding security practices. It’s critical to continually inform and educate everyone at your
company about mobile best practices. Here are 10 tips to consider sharing with your team:

60 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – July 2017 Edition
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