In an era of modern enterprise mobility and management, employee flexibility in terms of location and device usage has become a new norm. Although this definitely adds to their productivity and efficiency, at the same time, companies cannot ignore the threats and risks they pose to corporate information security.
The influx of mobile devices and the plethora of platforms in the workplace are making things more complex for companies. Conditions get trickier when employees are allowed to use their own devices at work, whether in office premises or a remote location.
This blog will discuss the nuances of information security on employee-owned (BYOD) and corporate-owned devices with respect to Mobile Device Management (MDM).
What is Information Security?
Information, which can exist in any form, physical, tangible, electronic, or non-tangible, is a valuable asset to a company. As the term suggests, information security is a set of defined and organized tools and processes designed to protect sensitive corporate information from getting disrupted, stolen, modified, compromised, disclosed, corrupted, or destructed.
A part of information risk management and popularly known as InfoSec, it secures crucial information from unauthorized access, use, sharing, disclosure, or deletion. In case any unfortunate security incident takes place, InfoSec professionals are responsible for mitigating the impact of the threat or the risk involved. The three famous pillars of InfoSec are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Apart from these three aspects, there are three more pillars that offer further strength to the InfoSec program. They are accountability, authenticity, and non-repudiation.
The simple fundamental that underlines the InfoSec program is that sensitive corporate information must be kept intact. It cannot be accessed, transferred, or modified without authorized permission. The major types of InfoSec are application security, cloud security, cryptography, infrastructure security, incident response, and vulnerability management.
Corporate Information Security: Why Businesses Should Care?
Information can be worth billions of dollars to a company, and losing it can cause irreparable damage to enterprises. Unmanaged and unorganized information lying in silos can be vulnerable to different kinds of threats like computer/server malfunction, natural disasters, or physical theft. InfoSec is a crucial consideration for IT security specialists who monitor and prevent risks to application security, data security, network security, physical security, and computer security.
As a matter of fact, modern organizations mostly rely on corporate e-information stored within computers, information and software systems, mobile devices, smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices used by employees, stakeholders, and business leaders. As physical assets shift to the digital landscape, threats to information take the shape of cyber threats. The increasing cybersecurity attacks can cause major damage to sensitive and critical information assets.
On top of that, the growing risks of data breaches have brought the importance of having a sophisticated data protection plan to the forefront.
Now, let’s thicken the plot on BYO vs. corporate devices.
How Device Ownership Influences Information Security?
Most of the corporate information, which is sensitive and critical in nature, lies within smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices used for enterprise purposes. It is crucial to understand who owns and uses these devices, how they use these devices, and who owns the information. It also invites the question of how much control the company should have over the information stored in these devices, which are intended to be used from office premises and remote locations.
More questions follow: What kind of security and usage policies are introduced to protect corporate information from unauthorized access and data abuse, and how are they implemented.
Let’s look at the risks posed by employee-owned devices and how having a Bring Your Own Device policy with a robust MDM solution in place is the best option for organizations.
Information Security Risks with BYOD in Workplaces
With the growing need for flexibility, convenience, and agility, employees are increasingly using their own devices at work. Although employee-owned devices are doing the rounds, organizations must not ignore the costs it might pay for allowing employees to use their own devices to carry on their daily work. The security risks are doubled when employees use their own mobile devices from remote locations or even in the office.
Here’s a list of the risks that BYOD for business can pose to information security:
Data Loss or Abuse Due to Lost or Stolen Device
When an employee uses his/her own device at work without any backend control from the IT team, it simply means that the devices are on their own, and so is the company data lying within them. Now, imagine a scenario where an employee misplaces his/her device, and it falls into the wrong hands. It wouldn’t only jeopardize the entire work process but can also expose sensitive and critical company data to be compromised by hackers, who have gained expertise in decoding encrypted data and device-locking passwords.
Data Misuse When Employee Leaves
When an employee leaves the company, it is mandatory to follow certain regulations to ensure a healthy and organized departure. However, in the case where an employee just decides to abruptly walk out of the company without any prior notice, he/she invites a scope of data misuse. Companies rarely exercise any control over employee-owned devices, and this makes it difficult to wipe off or erase corporate data stored in those devices, which might attract unauthorized and unsafe access to corporate data and software in the future.
Data Corruption Due to Unsecure Browsing
Without any company IT control, employee-owned devices do not come with any restrictions or limitations to browse unprotected websites and download malicious apps. However, this unhindered freedom might invite the risks posed by cyber threats and attacks via unsafe websites and virus-laden apps. This undoubtedly brings in bigger risk factors wherein corporate data stand chances of corruption, deletion, or destruction, resulting in a tremendous financial and strategic loss for the company. Malware, spyware, and ransomware attacks through infected emails, apps, and web links can cause irreparable damage to the organization’s brand image.
Indifference Toward Security Updates
People often do not pay heed to those OS security updates and notifications, which causes the phones to stay outdated and hence devoid of security upgrades. Now, this tendency of indifference towards security updates can come bearing doom for information security. When employee-owned mobile phones are not forced to update themselves with the latest security firewall and anti-virus systems, they become vulnerable to a myriad of cyber-attacks, which leave corporate data vulnerable within these devices.
Access to Unprotected Wi-Fi
Employee-owned devices are often used from multiple remote locations wherein the user/employee sometimes needs to access the open Wi-Fi networks in case of data exhaustion or unavailability. Open Wi-Fi networks provided in coffee shops, airports, retail stores, hospitals, restaurants, and hotels often act like an open and unsecured employee portal for hackers to access company information stored in the devices. Accessing these unprotected Wi-Fi networks has become a norm with employees using personal devices but it can lead to dangerous InfoSec threats for organizations.
BYOD Policy to Mitigate Information Security Risks
A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy permits employees to utilize their personal devices—such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets—for professional activities. This approach enables staff members to access work emails, documents, and various business applications on their own devices instead of being restricted to company-provided hardware.
Ownership and management of data under a BYOD policy can differ based on the organization’s guidelines. Generally, the device is owned and maintained by the employee, who also ensures its security. However, the employer implements BYOD containerization to manage and secure access to corporate data residing on these personal devices. Containerization separates personal apps and data from work ones. This is typically managed through the use of mobile device management software or other comprehensive endpoint management solutions.
Advantages of BYOD Management
Implementing and managing a BYOD policy using an MDM solution presents numerous advantages to organizations. Here are the major ones:
Cost Savings
Implementing a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy can result in considerable cost reductions for businesses. By allowing employees to use their personal devices for work purposes, companies can avoid the expenses associated with purchasing and maintaining hardware.
This strategy is particularly beneficial for small to medium-sized enterprises, as it can substantially lower their IT-related costs. Additionally, employees tend to maintain their own devices more diligently, which can decrease the frequency of replacements or repairs needed.
Higher Productivity
Personal devices such as tablets and smartphones allow employees to work with their preferred devices and can enhance productivity and job satisfaction. BYOD management allows employees to operate in ways that align with their individual needs and preferences. Working on a familiar and comfortable device helps employees perform their tasks more efficiently and provides easier access to the necessary tools and applications required for their roles.
Flexibility of Choice
A BYOD policy enhances flexibility by allowing employees to select devices that align with their personal preferences and needs rather than restricting them to company-issued hardware. This broader selection of devices enables employees to work more effectively, as they can use technology that is optimally suited for their specific job functions.
Are Corporate-owned Devices a Better Option to Drive Information Security?
It is true that several of the information security loopholes in allowing employee-owned devices can be covered by implementing a well-planned BYOD policy. However, some organizations are still treading that path at a cautioned pace owing to the security complications and management ordeal. On top of that, as businesses cannot own and regulate the usage of these employee-owned devices, the possibility of malware and virus attacks is always present on such devices, albeit on the personal container.
While employee-owned devices invariably drive productivity and flexibility, they cannot be achieved at the cost of important corporate information being jeopardized. Having a company device policy for corporate-owned devices pays off in multiple terms while fostering productivity, security, flexibility, efficiency, and precision. A corporate-owned device policy powered with an MDM solution can be the answer to maintaining a flawless information security system across the organization at all levels. However, it comes with a high cost disadvantage, especially for large teams that are globally dispersed.
BYOD vs. Company-Owned: Scalefusion is a Win-Win
The choice between implementing a BYOD policy and providing corporate-owned devices to employees solely resides with business requirements. What’s important is that whichever is the choice, an MDM solution like Scalefusion has both aspects covered.
Reach out to our experts for a free demo and find out how Scalefusion fits into your BYOD or COPE needs. Start your 14-day free trial by signing up!
FAQs
1. Which policy allows employees to use their own devices?
The policy that allows employees to use their own devices for work-related activities is known as “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD). This policy enables employees to access company resources such as emails, applications, and files on their personal smartphones, tablets, or laptops. BYOD is implemented to enhance flexibility and convenience but requires strict IT security measures to protect company data from potential security risks associated with personal device usage.
2. Which policy provides employees with corporate devices?
A Corporate-Owned, Personally-Enabled (COPE) policy allows companies to provide employees with corporate devices for work and limited personal use. This policy helps ensure that the devices are secure, compliant, and integrated with the necessary enterprise applications while allowing employees some personal freedom. Companies choose COPE to maintain control over the hardware and software, ensuring security protocols and updates are consistently applied.
3. Which policy allows employees to choose company-approved and configured devices?
The policy that allows employees to choose company-approved and configured devices is known as the Corporate-Owned, Personally-Enabled (COPE) policy. This approach provides workers with a selection of devices that are pre-configured with enterprise security controls and applications, ensuring both compliance and a degree of personal freedom. COPE benefits organizations by maintaining strict IT control while offering employees flexibility and personalization options with their devices.
