BYOD Policies, or Bring Your Own Device programs are becoming more popular across a
multitude of industries and businesses, including healthcare and SMBs. A study
by Osterman Research reports that 82% of organizations use personal devices to
access corporate email, databases and other applications.. Sure, this type of program
has its benefits – such as reduced costs for employers who no longer need to buy the
latest devices, there’s no training time required, and productivity could increase as
a result of each user being more comfortable with their personal device. It’s easy
to see why BYOD options are becoming more commonplace, but before you launch
your own program, consider the downfalls as well.
1. Time management
When it comes to staff bringing their own device to work, the lines between
business and personal use sometimes seem to blur. Are users doing business-
related work, or spending time on games, videos, emails, or social media?
2. Increased cost with service providers
Some employees may see a BYOD program as an opportunity to upgrade to
a more expensive data plan, or make international calls without footing the
bill.
3. Data security
Personal devices sometimes skirt the inbound filters that are normally set
on corporate devices and are therefore more susceptible to malware. These
devices can also be more prone to hackers or a virus, putting not only the
device at risk, but company data as well.
4. Legal compliance
BYODs that bypass outbound filters are at a higher risk of violating data
privacy laws and regulatory requirements.
5. Lost/stolen devices
If not immediately reported, the device may not have a full remote wipe
completed before data is breached. To make matters worse, even when
reported promptly, the data published by Osterman Research shows that
roughly 1 in 4 personal smartphones could be remotely wiped.
Stay tuned for Part II on BYODs, where we’ll talk about ways to ensure safe and
effective BYOD programs! If you would like more information about IT support,
