How To Implement a Safe BYOD Policy
As the world gets more connected, devices are necessary for communicating and working in our personal lives and working lives. For many, this means using the same device for both aspects of life. While this provides employees with the convenience of not having to have multiple devices like phones and laptops to lug around, it does present security issues for the employer. How To Implement a Safe BYOD Policy ?
How To Implement a Safe BYOD Policy
Bring your own device (BYOD) is a rising phenomenon in today’s digital world, but too many companies do not have the policies and procedures in place to do it safely. Yes, you should trust your employees to keep your security while using their own devices, but if they do not have proper training or knowledge, then their best intentions may not be enough to keep you secure. Here’s how to implement a safe BYOD policy.
Create Clear Policies
Step 1 is always creating policies that make sense for your business and for your staff. Your policies should include what is expected in terms of security and authentication for any devices used for work. You also must have requirements for what can and cannot be stored on those devices as opposed to a cloud server. If there are any apps that are needed to provide security or for work functions, then make sure that all of your employees have downloaded them and put the appropriate authentication measures in place. Always make sure that your policies are clear so that there is no question as to what is required.
Passwords
Password security is the most important aspect of keeping your work data safe and protected. Getting passwords is the easiest way for hackers and criminals to access your data and use it for illegal means. Implementing single sign-on processes can make sure that all devices are secure, and that managing passwords is simpler. With an SSO password manager, your employees will not have to suffer by having multiple passwords for every application they use, and it will be simpler for administration to manage those passwords. Provide guidelines regarding password creation such as using longer phrases and implementing capital letters, numbers, and special characters.
Get Your Staff to Buy-In
Make sure that your staff has bought into the concept before you implement it. That means communicating with them as to why it’s important and what the consequences could be if there is a data breach. Provide them with resources and training about BYOD standards so that they understand what is at stake and what is expected of them. Make sure that training and help is always available through manuals and even 1 on 1 time with yourself or the IT department if you have one.
Incentives
Implementing BYOD should be valuable for both the company and the employees. You can save on buying equipment and devices for everyone, and workers will not have to have multiple devices and will get to work with what they are comfortable with. However, just because you aren’t buying devices does not mean that you should not provide some financial compensation. Provide your staff that are involved with BYOD with some funding for repairs, data plans, or anything else that they might use while working. You will still save money, and your staff will appreciate it. This will also help you with the buy-in to your BYOD program.
Separation Plan
No company keeps the exact same staff from the moment it’s created until the moment it shuts its doors. You will have turnover, and when that happens you may have a security issue on your hands. Since employees are using their own devices, it’s only natural that they would keep those devices when they stop working for you. Make sure that you have a plan for whenever an employee leaves.
In these situations, it’s more important than ever to quickly remove access to any applications, email, or company networks. You may be able to wipe data from the device remotely if that data is stored in company-managed applications. By removing all of their access as soon as possible, you will keep your data secure, and protect the former employee as well from being liable in a data breach situation.
Talk to Experts
There may be some aspects of your business that make BYOD unique when compared to other businesses. You may want to talk to tech experts in your local area to make sure that all of your bases are covered, and that your policies are fully comprehensive. You do not want to miss something and find yourself at risk of a devastating data leak. Experts will have a full grasp of the issues and make sure that you are protected.
Don’t take chances. Any time data from your business is accessed off-site there is an additional risk. By following this guide to implementing your BYOD policy, you can keep your data safe and provide a convenient working arrangement for you and your staff.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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