Organizations from the varied industrial sector are embracing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or at least contemplating to implement. They are aware of all the advantages and possibilities it brings not only to the employees but also to the overall IT management system. So, if you are ready to embrace BYOD in your work environment, chances are that you have evaluated the challenges and are now contemplating to put in place a robust BYOD policy for your organization that will effectively protect your sensitive business information, keeping in mind employee’s interests.
Top five BYOD policy for organizations to follow while implementing BYOD:
For an organization, there is an array of assets that need protection – corporate data and applications, devices (both company and employee-owned), corporate network and staff who manage these assets.
When your data and apps move around the organization or out of it, they become difficult to manage and protect, and adding personal devices magnifies the problem. Possible asset security issues that can arise are:
BYOD Policy Best Practices
To protect your organizational assets, the BYOD policy should include:
While you install MDM software for BYOD device management and implement MDM to monitor and control BYOD device usage, it is vital to protect employee privacy too. Employees may be wary of registering their devices to the MDM platform or may feel their personal data is at risk.
BYOD Policy Best Practices
To protect employees’ interests and ensure that their personal data is not jeopardized:
Most smart devices these days have automatic cloud backup feature. Also, employees use a variety of cloud-based solutions to back up their personal data, which is a good practice. But problems may arise if business data is stored on a third-party cloud platform.
BYOD Policy Best Practices
To protect your sensitive organization information from being stored on employee devices or cloud storage:
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It is a potentially critical situation when the employee exits the company. As employee devices are the primary work tools, once the employees’ exit, these tools also leave the organization with them.
BYOD Policy Best Practices
The business should implement a practical plan to protect confidential data theft or loss, well in time before their exit. This plan could include:
The most important concern of devising a BYOD policy is ensuring compliance with the specifications. Employees may falter in following the rules, skip some steps, or simply forget the policy, which can pose serious risks.
BYOD Policy Best Practices
To ensure company-wide compliance with your BYOD policy:
While accepting personal devices for work purpose cannot be avoided, comprehensive, clear, and thorough BYOD policy must be put in place to protect your business. It should be accompanied by employee training on the benefits and risks of BYOD and ensuring that all employees follow the policy.