Companies are adding features that improve employee productivity, giving the option to employees to use their own personal device to access company applications and data. The feature is known as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), that provides many benefits to employees and employer. However, with BYOD there is a major risk that comes in with security, the inability to control devices owned by the employees often results in more sensitive data leaks combined with vicious malware infections together creating security incidents. What are some of the biggest security risks that you could happen with usage of BYOD? Is it possible to overcome various cyber security challenges that come in with BYOD environment? What are the strategies and tools that can be used by businesses that will assist avoid the pitfalls and reduce those security risks?
When IT teams take a look at the security infrastructure for all mobile devices, every one of them can act as a device that is vulnerable to attacks. However, when we have unchecked personal devices that without any secured connection access business data, they add risk of compromising the complete business system. Security incidents that involve the mobile devices have increased significantly over the course of the last few years; according to Verizon’s Mobile Security Index 2019 report out every 1 in 3 enterprises have admitted that they have suffered a compromise involving a mobile device. With 86 percent adding that mobile technology used in business represents the fasted growing threat as the number of mobile security incidents has increased exponentially with the adoption of mobile devices in the enterprise benefits. A recent study from Computer Economics found that the number of companies following a BYOD policy increased from 37 percent in 2013 to 59 percent in 2017. Enterprise Mobility Exchange recently found a trend that involves several aspects of mobile that can cause security concern; still, almost 64 percent of organizations are allowing employees to use their own mobile devices for work.
The proliferation of personal mobile devices in the enterprise network is seen as one of the gateways for incoming security threats. IT teams have zero involvement when it comes to acknowledging the personal devices; it means that they can’t govern and control the device the way it can be done for their own inventory. One of the biggest problems is that the employee has administrative privileges, that means there are several opportunities for the attackers to make way to the enterprise network. Security is constantly viewed as one of the major security concerns with having BYOD policy for the devices, a survey by Enterprise Mobility Exchange found that 49 percent of the employees agree that BYOD creates a greater number of security risks.
With BYOD enterprises will, likely having devices that would be of legacy technology that can’t be shifted to newer technology that presents a particularly larger problem for the businesses. There are still so many versions of Android/iOS that are being used, adding several security concerns with BYOD. About 28 percent of the enterprise’s malware to be one of the biggest threat, while 27 percent are more concerned about the data leakage.
Is BYOD worth the amount of risk?
Given the potential security risk associated with BYOD is it worth for the enterprises to allow the employees to use their own personal devices? Employers to assess the benefits of BYOD; the studies show that employee satisfaction and productivity increases with BYOD. As long as the appropriate protections are in place, it is probably worth it. A 2018 study from the Jamf found that 68 percent of employees are more productive and satisfied when they choose their own device. Furthermore, 77 percent of employees say that they are more likely to choose to work or stay at a company with BYOD policies. Most IT departments have deal with executives that are using iPad or Galaxy Tab for work functions, so security is not only a technological barrier but complete business solution. Tech policies are increasingly a factor competing for sought after knowledge workers, the need for being flexible as possible. BYOD increases employee satisfaction and productivity; BYOD can reduce enterprise mobility costs.
A 2018 study from Oxford Economics found that even in cases where enterprises provide stipends for employees choosing their own devices, it will still provide 11 percent cost saving for mobility solutions in an enterprise with 10,000 employees. Enterprise Mobility Exchange surveyed its audience in June 2019, and 71 percent of respondents added that it’s possible to overcome security challenges in a BYOD environment. Any other devices will have to be connected by exception for IT and Line of Business (LOB) approval. It has a scattered security solution the most important thing beyond that for complete suite enterprise mobility management (EMM) / Unified endpoint management (UEM) product that can manage all devices for all users.
Attaining a Secured BYOD environment
Having a coexistence when it comes BYOD and cybersecurity we need to bring solutions for both. Many businesses have adopted specified business applications that secure the connection, Walmart in 2018 had announced that it is allowing the store associates to use their own personal devices for work on the sales floor. To improve their data solutions and service for the customers with a better understanding of the BYOD program with associates gained access to different applications that provide complete sales data, product delivery schedules and store announcement, the app also provides the associates to manage deliveries, pricing changes, and returns. The above solution gives us a complete feature that the business needs when it comes to need of certain information such as battery level, corporate data, storage usage and phone maker/model/carrier that will not have access to other personal information that the device will have. In addition to required security patches, access to the enterprise apps is limited to only when the shift time begins the shift and shift timing ends when the associated clocks out from the end of the shift.
Conclusion
To implement various security solutions, the employees must have a complete setup to satisfy the standards of the operating system that are compatible with your software. The user must agree to download the efficient and secured operating systems standards that are compatible with your software solutions. The policy itself won’t prevent the attacks to ensure BYOD coexists with cyber security, security software is required that reinforces compliance and containerizes all of the enterprise application.
To know more, you can download latest whitepapers on BOYD and Cybersecurity.
