Security: The Biggest BYOD Challenge

By Rich Faille

Obviously, security is a very big concern for organizations as they begin to implement a bring your own device (BYOD) strategy. Many IT managers fear a loss of company or client data, unauthorized access to the network, and malware infections. They may also lack the resources needed to properly address these security concerns. We’re here to share some tips and strategies to ensure your data remains secure as you implement a BYOD policy.

When implementing a BYOD policy, what every organization wants is to make sure their environment remains secure, while granting end-users, contractors, and guests the flexibility to have the correct services and levels of access on their chosen devices. How can you manage and control a fragmented device landscape and still allow BYOD to happen in your organization?

This is where a mobile device management solution comes in. MDM is really the window into your whole mobile environment. From that, you can see all the particulars and audit information about every device in your organization. You can also track every device geographically and see where it is. In addition, you have options such as selective wipe, so that if an employee loses their device, you can wipe all the corporate data from that device through the MDM tool. The employee’s personal information remains intact if they’re able to recover the device, but no one will see the corporate data because it’s been remotely removed from the device. A mobile device management tool is one of the keys to keeping devices secure.

But not only do you need to secure these devices, you also have to keep corporate-enabled applications and services secure. You need to plot out where all the information is, where it’s going, and how to containerize it so it doesn’t leave the device. And you’ll need to make sure all communication between your organization’s home servers and the device is encrypted. Many vendors that offer third-party mobile device management solutions are now extending their capabilities to manage applications as well because they recognize that securing the device is the first pain point in a BYOD strategy, but securing applications is quickly becoming the next pain point.

Watch this video to learn how to create secure BYOD policies for your organization.