Transcript
The proliferation of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) in the enterprise is on the rise, and like it or not, it is here to stay. Employees are more comfortable using devices they are familiar with.
For this reason, IT decision makers must determine whether BYOD is suitable for their organisation—or risk stifling the productivity of the workforce. However, consideration must be given to the approach of implementation, the management of policy, and long-term growth objectives. Security also plays a key role across this mix; the sanctity and protection of corporate information must be ensured above all else. Follow this checklist as a guide in determining the right BYOD strategy for your enterprise.
USERS
DEVICES
APPS & SERVICES
INFRASTRUCTURE
SECURITY
You must understand which employees would be interested in/ would benefit from a BYOD environment—and develop a list of their specific requirements.
Today’s consumer technology offers a virtually limitless selection of devices and operating systems. Get employees and IT on the same page by determining which will be supported at work.
Many apps and services leave devices open and vulnerable to external threats. You must understand which apps and services will be necessary for employees to complete their work, yet also set strict guidelines for users so they know which third-party services may put corporate data at risk.
Ensure company resources—for both IT and end users—are well managed by determining how BYOD will be supported and monitored throughout your organisation.
The ability to secure incoming devices and protect corporate data is the biggest concern for IT. Be sure to address IT decision makers’ concerns before allowing users the flexibility and freedom of BYOD.
• For which business functions and processes might they use BYOD? • Are user needs limited to email, or do they extend through to mission-critical systems and applications? • Will you need to put resources toward education around your BYOD policy, once it is in place?
• Which devices do your employees want? And which devices will your organisation allow? • What are the unique security and management characteristics of these devices and platforms?
• Which apps are currently being used by both the end user and the organisation, and which are soon likely to be added (by either party)?
• What constraints should IT implement and enforce?
• Can you identify and block risky apps? • Which cloud-based services are currently in use?
• Will you support BYOD with full-time IT staff, new hires, dedicated resources and/ or via managed services? • Will you manage BYOD centrally (e.g. with a dedicated console and system to manage all policies and devices from one location) or use a decentralised approach (e.g. push out per-device policies via smartphone utility configurations)? • How will you provide secure mobile access to internal systems when required?
• How do you prevent and remove malware from BYOD devices? • To which rules and regulations must you comply (e.g. The GDPR/ Safe Harbour invalidation)? • Will users be allowed to mix personal and company data?
The answers you provide to the questions above will help shape and drive the decisions regarding which devices and apps are supported in your environment. As a result, the BYOD strategy should service both long- and short-term business needs—whilst enabling and enhancing the productivity of your workforce, rather than restricting it.
