With 62% of businesses and charities reporting a data breach in the last 18 months, is allowing employees to use their own devices for work posing a security risk?
The working world has changed dramatically in the last few years. Employees are looking for a way to balance both their personal and professional lives, and one way that businesses are accommodating this is by allowing staff to bring their own devices to work (BYOD).
HR
From a HR perspective, it has a wealth of benefits. There is a reduction in hardware costs, it allows more flexible working, it can increase employee satisfaction and if staff have access to a device they find easier to navigate, it can increase productivity.
It can also be a HR and an IT nightmare. If businesses don’t have strong security not only is it putting the business devices at risk, it is also putting personal data and devices at risk, and with GDPR firmly in play, this is not something any business wants to contend with.
It is so important that businesses have a solid security policy and software management system in place before allowing staff to use their personal devices for work.
Yes it is difficult to manage when it is a personal device, but within security policies, simple things like making sure you have two-step authentication processes switched on is crucial. Businesses also need to invest in a security solution and management software that protects data from malware, can detect rogue applications and can remotely wipe the device if it is lost or stolen. All of this will add another layer of security to protect those devices against threats to the corporation network.
With 49% of businesses where BYOD operates confirming a security breach or cyber-attack in the last 18 months, businesses should be paying more attention to IT security and what the real implications of not having a solid system in place could really mean.
As part of the CSG 360° Managed Support Programme our help desk professionals can support your business when you introduce BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) into your organisation. By providing your employees the freedom to work on their personal devices you need to ensure the security of your enterprise data and applications on those devices.
Get in touch to find out more!