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Conquering BYOx and Security

Given these new challenges resulting from BYOx, how can IT pros secure the expanded
threat landscape associated with today’s average business? The answer certainly isn’t
simple given the sheer volume of new security threats brought on by this trend, but there are
steps for IT pros to take:

Implement a mobile device policy: Developing a strong BYOx policy is the first reasonable
step. A solid BYOx mobile device policy will consider the following:

 Separate wireless networks for BYOx and company-owned machines

 The types of mobile devices allowed and their respective required security measures

 Mobile device security software as a requirement to access corporate data which
enforces security measures (such as PIN and OS security updates)

 A backup policy to control the spread of sensitive corporate data

 A terminated employee policy that ensures removal of corporate data from the device

Understand the value of monitoring: Unfortunately, IT security pros can’t mitigate every
potential risk simply with a mobile device policy, no matter how strong it is. So, much like
alarm systems in homes, monitoring tools should be used to help address gaps as BYOx
continues to expand. Creating a strong monitoring strategy to identify and profile devices
that are connecting to the network and subsequent user behavior will help in the discovery of
both gaps in policy and new threats as they arise.

Training is key: In the world of BYOx, the employee has greater power. Implementing a
security awareness program with specific emphasis on mobile device threats and
appropriate use of corporate data will help employees make smarter security decisions.

In businesses of all sizes, BYOx is here to stay, and it will only continue to grow as the
mobile device market expands. Concurrently, the threat to organizations will increase, and it
will be up to IT security pros to lead the charge in terms of creating protected environments.
By understanding the threats and working with company leadership to make policy,
monitoring and ongoing training top priorities in the age of BYOx, IT pros can ensure their
environments are secure and ultimately protect the business’ bottom line.

About the author

Gretchen Hellman is senior director of security strategy at
SolarWinds and brings extensive security management expertise
to her role. Hellman began her career in information security as a
consultant specializing in security policy and security program
development. She is a frequent speaker in the areas of evolving
attack methods, operationalizing security policy, security
management, regulatory compliance, data security and security
information and event management. She holds a B.S.E.E. from
Santa Clara University.

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