BYOD and data security

Companies must work with IT to assess emerging tools that maximise the BYOD potential without threatening enterprise data

One of the many marvels of modern-day technology is accessing your work files using personal devices. A trend that has caught the fancy of professionals and is christened as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Ever since it surfaced in 2010, BYOD has had a polarising effect across companies and its employees. Those in favour argue that an effective BYOD strategy can lead to a number of benefits for businesses such as improved employee job satisfaction, increased job efficiency and flexibility. While those against it argued it can threaten the privacy of classified information.

Despite being tied down by IT policies, BYOD has come a long way and reshaped the way mobility is perceived in the workplace. Initially, several businesses started blocking personal devices from their network and coerced professionals to use only official devices. However, with the introduction of sophisticated operating systems on mobile devices such as iOS and Android, official support and BYOD programmes were introduced into the workplace at a much faster rate. With increasing penetration of personal devices such as tablets and smart phones by 2012, BYOD became an integral part of day-to-day activity. But, using personal devices at work also staged a major challenge for IT providers as containerisation of personal data from corporate data proved to be a greater challenge.

Maximising BYOD's potential
But allowing BYOD doesn't necessarily imply that enterprises forgo their control over data or devices. Following measures are fundamental to effectively employing BYOD policies.

Developing a hybrid policy encapsulating IT, HR and legal framework: Businesses must broaden policies to understand that all applicable uses of mobility support broader business initiative and help employees work better or faster.

Pilot testing measures: First test the BYOD programme on a small group of users to obtain feedback and then roll out as part of a larger project.

Establishing employer and employee expectations: Senior management must ensure that employees are clear about the privileges of BYOD and also caution them against misuse.

Strengthening the role of IT and CIOs: By expanding the job of IT, organisations must leverage their capacity by providing them with necessary tools to keep a tab on data.

Updating policies, programmes and framework: Since the IT landscape is dynamic, companies must update their framework from time-to-time to keep up with IT developments.

In fact, more than half of employees globally are doing some form of BYOD, either on their own or under a company initiative. The issue of control is a concern for most major markets. The United States, for instance, is one of the most mature countries along the BYOD path. Similarly, countries such as China, India and UAE are born for BYOD since they are gadget-friendly countries and people are interested to use these models for work as well. In fact, according to India Enterprise Mobility survey, almost 70 per cent Indian organisations claimed that they either have a mobility policy or are at present in the process of drafting one. BYOD incorporation in Indian enterprises is being carried out in much structured manner than what industry had envisaged.

In contrast, Germany has stringent regulations governing the policy of using personal devices mainly concerning privacy and protection for a separate work-life culture. In Brazil, due to lack of infrastructure and security requirements, it is a challenge to integrate BYOD.

Organisations in the UK must ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), which imposes obligations on data controllers to process their data fairly and to take security measures to prevent unauthorised use of personal data.

To ensure safe, effective use of BYOD, enterprises must work in partnership with IT and employees to assess emerging tools, which ensure maximising BYOD potential without threatening enterprise data.

By Viswanath Magudapathi, senior systems administrator, Blue Star Infotech