Which policy allows employees to choose a company approved and configured device

A bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy allows employees and other staff to bring their personal laptops and smartphones to work and connect them to the corporate network. BYOD is common across many companies, and employees like it because they may feel more comfortable using their own devices. However, the use of personal devices presents a challenge to the organization’s ability to secure the network environment. Therefore, a BYOD policy must be fully defined to protect corporate data from theft.

Devices owned by the organization are easy to control because administrators control what’s installed on the device and force updates and configuration changes. With BYOD, administrators must balance cybersecurity with device owner privacy.

BYOD security has several components, all of which must be planned to fit your unique business requirements and avoid being too invasive on private user devices. To implement a sound cybersecurity strategy, you must determine applications and assets that can be accessed from a personal computer or smartphone. You might also require specific minimum security controls for the device.

For example, a user might use a smartphone to connect to email or collect other business-specific data. Before the user can connect to your network, they should have antivirus installed. An antivirus application protects the device from malware and keeps your organization compliant. This request protects corporate data but does not interfere with the user’s private device.

How BYOD Works

Businesses that don’t already have a BYOD policy often need guidance on where and how to get started. At a high level, a BYOD policy allows employees to bring a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or any other portable device to their place of work. About 80% of businesses support a BYOD policy, and most employees take advantage of the policy and use at least one of their personal devices to access business applications and data.

While a BYOD policy may increase employee productivity, its primary challenge is the cybersecurity required to protect business data. Businesses can create various policies and strategies to establish standards that gives employees access to business data while also safeguarding it.

Benefits of BYOD Security

A BYOD policy has advantages for both employers and employees. The main advantage for businesses is the lowered operating costs. Employees using their own devices means that businesses no longer need to purchase them, reducing costs by thousands of dollars. It’s not uncommon for employers to pay for smartphone cell and data plan services, but this cost is still less than the hardware cost.

When employees use devices they’re familiar with, productivity increases. They no longer need to configure devices to fit their specific preferences because the employee device is already set up to be the most efficient at their job function. Training costs decrease because employees no longer need to learn device mechanics and can learn applications at their own pace.

If an employee wants the latest technology, they buy a new device, improving the business technology required to stay operational. Instead of buying new equipment, the organization can leverage the employee’s latest technology, which can help improve productivity and introduce the latest trends to other employees.

Challenges of BYOD

Even with its benefits, BYOD also has some challenges. An organization should consider these challenges before planning and implementing a BYOD policy.

A few challenges you might face:

BYOD Risks

The risks of allowing BYOD users relate directly to the challenges the organization might face. For example, one of the challenges of a BYOD is protecting data from theft, but it’s also a risk you face by allowing users to store corporate data on their devices. Malware is also a risk, but it can be stopped using the right antivirus software.

Compliance is one of the most significant risks. Should an attacker steal sensitive data from a stolen or exploited device, your organization could face litigation issues for non-compliance and damage to customer privacy. Defending against litigation is costly and can impact revenue from brand reputation damage.

Users typically understand their own devices, but mobile management is put into the hands of the user rather than administrators. Improper mobile management can mean the device is more vulnerable to malware and other malicious attacks if the user does not know how to stop common threats.

If administrators do not monitor BYOD, the environment could be vulnerable to shadow IT. Shadow IT devices are user laptops, smartphones, and tablets that are not authorized to connect to the network. These devices can be connected to the network maliciously to exfiltrate data and eavesdrop on traffic.