TO BYOD OR NOT

According to Bob Egan of Forbes, the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for business died a natural death nearly two years ago. The concept was however extremely popular when smart phones, iPhones, and Blackberry first came on the scene, primarily because of the convenience it offered for both employers as well as employees. As time passed, the thrill wore off and problems emerged. The question then remained was – Is BYOD good for business? Well the simple answer is “Yes it is.” Egan qualifies his opinion about the death of BYOD by saying “BYOD as we know it is dead”. There is little doubt though, that the phenomenon has changed the way businesses function. Let’s see what has changed and whether BYOD is still a good business practice.

The Good

Let’s begin with some stats. One survey by Entrasys shows that BYOD is practiced by 74% companies. IDC 2011 however differs by saying this figure is underestimated by about 50% which means more than 74% companies are using it. Roger Bjork, of Dell Enterprise Mobility Solutions says that employees who are allowed to bring their own device to work put in more hours as compared to those who are not. These figures show that BYOD is definitely good for business. Simply put BYOD facilitates easy access to CRM, knowledge base, database and other resources allowing employees to work from anywhere. Surely it is advantageous for this reason alone.

Another major plus is that your database / knowledge base stays up to date right up to the minute which in turn means you have access to real time data that you can effectively use for lead generation, conversion, and increasing ROI. You can also effectively reduce costs – particularly hardware costs – by allowing employees to use their own hardware devices. BYOD means your employees – and you too – can work even when the office is closed.

Expansion is another area where BYOD will work in your favour. Expanding across time zones is much easier if you just allow those working with you to use their own device instead of insisting that they have one dedicated to your business. With so much in its favour, why did the practice lose steam?

The Bad

One thing about BYOD is that there is a lot of grey area. Who for example would provide technical support for the devices owned by the employees but used for office work? The employees would naturally look towards their employer which means additional costs for round the clock support. After all if you want them to work round the clock you should too. Another big thing going against BYOD is the fact that data on mobile devices is exposed. Most people leave their private phones lying around carelessly and many of them are not secured by passwords or pins, for the simple reason that they are personal. Loss of personal devices is another big threat when business data is available on personal devices.

Another argument against BYOD is that employees who quit carry sensitive data and information with them. They may still have access to your database unless you ensure their account is deactivated. Even then they may have data and information downloaded on to their device. This is a leak that can easily go unnoticed unless you are alert to the possibility.

Data on personal devices could therefore mean a ticking time bomb for your business. Data exposed in this manner means exposure to breach leading to loss of ROI and additional expenses for recovery. It is for these reasons that

business owners hesitate to adopt the practice of BYOD and why the practice petered out. We at Geex however feel that the advantages far outweigh the risks. After all there are ways to mitigate risks.

The Way to Go

So! Like everything else, there is a good and a bad side of BYOD. But the question still remains, how to mitigate the risks? Managed care is the simple answer to that one. At GEEX we can provide you complete BYOD management. Our services will help you mitigate the risk of data loss by defining and implementing protocol. We will provide you a single window service for all types of devices used by your employees. We can ensure secure data transfer through encryption. Enforcing protocol is achieved through monitoring access to corporate resources. Data loss is prevented by techniques such as need based access, automated memory wipe, remote locking, and device tracking. We also help you conduct periodic audits to identify potential leaks and plug them well in time. As your managed care consultant, Geex can help you establish and implement the protocol for all devices that your employees bring with them. Following these guideline, we can guarantee almost 100% security. Well we’re not God so 99%.

Ensuring Complete Network Security

Network security has gone from being static to dynamic within the past decade. Traditionally, security lay at the bottom of the priority list with a few routine tasks associated with it such as backup and clean-up. That is until networking, virtualization and cloud computing came along and changed things. In the earlier scenario, when a security breach occurred, only the computer on which the breach occurred was affected. With more and more devices being connected, the entire network is at risk even if just one device is compromised. Networking and virtualization have also posed some new security risks as has cloud computing. We at Geex make it our business to find out what these risks are and how you can deal with them. Here’s a list of precautions you can take to protect your network.

Virus Scans

The oldest and the most trusted way to avoid virus, worms, and other malware, is to use a security suite. Yes its tiresome when you boot up and your computer makes you wait while it runs the virus scan but remember its not just your computer or node but the entire network that’s at risk. Also remember to keep your security suite up to date so that it can take care of all the new malware that is released almost every day! At Geex we have a practice of monitoring the update of every security suite we install or manage. We also keep track of any new malware that has emerged and its antidote.

SPAM and Phishing Filters

Although harmless, spam has a high nuisance value when it keeps appearing in your in-box. Phishing on the other hand can be really harmful if it succeeds in extracting personal and sensitive information. Most email service providers have built in filtering for spam and phishing. There are also some commercially available filters that you can use. Stay up-to-date on the latest about these filters and ensure that you are not bothered by Spam and Phishing.

Encryption

Some unscrupulous individuals use a program known as a packet sniffer to cull information from data packets flying across the internet. If your information is encrypted though, the sniffer will be unable to make sense of the information culled. Make sure all information you send out is encrypted. Many sites and service providers have inbuilt software for encryption and decryption. If your data is really sensitive, you can purchase stronger software – or have your own code written – to make the transmission even more secure. We at Geex can help you obtain the software and keep it up to speed.

Mind the Hardware

One much ignored breach is loss of hardware. With more and more people using mobile devices, loss of hardware can lead to a serious breach in the database. Cloud computing complicates things further since many of the devices are logged on to clouds which house business databases. The solution to this problem is not as simple as installing a software – though you may need that too. What is required is a complete security protocol for one and all. We at Geex can study your business and recommend the best protocol for you.

Sign Out and Stay Secure

“Do you want staff to to remember the password for this site?” Sounds familiar? And we all too often hit yes thinking “What if I forget the password?” But this can be a dangerous practice especially if you are using a shared computer on a network. Never leave a computer signed in. And of course you should never ask your computer to remember your password for you. Change your password frequently. Clear the cache frequently. Check the Delete History box on your browser setting. Phew! That’s a lot to remember right? We can help by establishing the protocol for you.

Pssst! BYOD

This one is really tricky! When employees change jobs, they often carry their mobile device with them. The best thing to do for this is to present your employees with office devices which they leave back when they quit. What happens when you upgrade though? Well back to protocol! Esta     blish a clear protocol for disposing obsolete hardware safely. Make sure all sensitive data is deleted before it leaves your office premises.

Summing up ….

In today’s world where people conduct their day to day transactions using their mobiles, security becomes a great concern. However, as the risks increase, the security solutions improve too. We at Geex can help you manage your network ensuring complete security for your data. Just leave your name and number and we’ll tell you how.