Even as recently as a decade ago, cell phones were still modest little devices that essentially only made and received calls with little in the way of additional functionality. Flash forward to today, and even a modestly priced smartphone can still allow most people to be just as productive on-the-go as they can be in the comfort of their own office – which is why it makes so much sense that people would want to use them whenever possible.
Based on the break-neck pace at which technology continues to advance, BYOD (bring your own device) workplaces have essentially become the new norm. Why would a business pay for an employee to carry a mobile device when they likely already have one that they’re intimately familiar with and comfortable using?
But at the same time, this brave new world of BYOD also represents a significant challenge that is far too important to overlook: cybersecurity. It isn’t necessarily that these devices are inherently insecure – far from it. It’s just that if you don’t go about things in exactly the right way, you could be opening up your business to major risks at a time when you probably can’t afford them.
The Cybersecurity Implications of the BYOD World
In essence, it’s important to understand that literally any device connected to your work’s internal network is a potential vulnerability just waiting to be exploited by someone who knows what they’re doing. In a lot of ways, this is a major point of hesitation for larger concepts like the Internet of Things. Sure, you can secure your workstations… but is the same true of an Internet-connected refrigerator in your break room?
BYOD workplaces have essentially the same attack surface, but the problem is worsened by the fact that you can’t necessarily guarantee that all of your employees are following cybersecurity best practices on their mobile devices.
Maybe you have your network locked down behind a military-grade firewall. Terrific… but what happens when your employee goes home for the night? They can still access all the same information, but you have no idea what security measures are in place on their home network.
More than that – what happens if your employee accidentally leaves their phone behind in the backseat of an Uber or Lyft after a night on the town? Suddenly a device that has unrestricted access to your network is just out in the wild, available for anyone to find and use in any way they see fit.
This is why, if you’re going to be implementing BYOD in your own workplace, at the very least you need a way to disable these devices remotely if necessary. There should be mechanisms in place that allow IT officials to instantly cut off access to the device in question should it be discovered to have been compromised at any point.
Likewise, if you’re going to show that you trust your employees in this way, they’re going to have to earn it – meaning that you need a strict cybersecurity policy that outlines everything they need to do to protect their devices and the very real consequences that come with violating these regulations.
Yes, using our own devices in the workplace is undoubtedly convenient – but even for as sophisticated as most smartphones and tablets are, it’s never a decision that should be made lightly. You need to do a significant amount of proactive planning before implementing any type of bring your own device environment, as this is absolutely one of those situations where the consequences of “getting it wrong” far, far outweigh the benefits of “getting it done” in the first place.
Contact us today to discuss custom application development for your company!
Background vector created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com
