BYOD “Bring Your Own Device” programs are gaining popularity in the workforce. They offer many advantages, such as empowering employees to use the devices that they prefer and reducing technology costs for an organization. However, they also present a few challenges – it security concerns being a significant hurdle to address.
With employees using their own personal devices as part of a new IT reality, there are a number of concerns for businesses:
- Spreading viruses through the company network
- Company-sensitive data could be compromised
- Personal files or applications may not comply with the company policy
These issues can all pose privacy, compliance and risk management challenges, and therefore, it is important to develop a BYOD program that has the proper safeguards in place to protect again IT security concerns.
With desktop virtualization you can set up a BYOD environment where the device that is used does not matter. All data and applications are accessed over an encrypted VPN connection and a secure file sync and sharing service is used allowing employees to use the devices they prefer and providing the organization with the confidence that all work-related files and software are protected as they are maintained in a secure data center, not on individual devices. And, because these files and applications are stored in the data center, users can be confident that their data is properly backed up and recoverable if their device is lost or stolen.
Most businesses already have some type of BYOD situation at work even if it’s not a formalized program. Employees are using their personal devices for work-related activities whether they are authorized or not. That is today’s reality. Therefore, it is extremely important to evaluate the organization’s current situation and devise a BYOD program that will ensure the protection of the company’s data. All IT security concerns need to be addressed in BYOD programs.
We will continue the BYOD topic in the next few blogs, focusing on issues such as device management, BYOD costs, and developing a BYOD policy. Yes, BYOD programs can help reduce costs for the organization but check out this article on how to lower your technology costs with Fair Market Leasing.