Mobile devices are increasingly changing the way people live and work. Things like smartphones and tablets are joining the work environment of laptops and desktops and are being used as new tools by many businesses. While mobile devices bring convenience and efficiency to enterprises, employees access enterprise networks and data more and more frequently, thus bringing security risks to the sensitive information of enterprises and individuals.

The enterprise must formulate a security policy for using mobile devices in the office network, and develop and implement the corresponding security measures accordingly.

Points of BYOD Security Policy

The bottom line of BYOD security is just as important as the enterprise’s security while minimizing the invasion of employee privacy and usability for personal use. Enterprises that adopt solutions can take full advantage of the benefits of BYOD and reap the reward, such as work-life balance, employee productivity and satisfaction, while effectively alleviating the security risks that have plagued companies that have adopted BYOD.

• Keep anti-virus software up to date. IT departments should aim to keep defensive software up to date and remind users to do the same. Enterprises can even provide users with higher levels of anti-virus software to enhance security and protect digital resources from all aspects.
• Secure connection methods. There are several ways to securely connect to networks and servers, including encrypting data or rerouting signals over a virtual private network(VPN).
• Access restrictions. In the right place, it will help enforce security without compromising the user experience. Cross-domain regulations limit what users can access, helping to isolate department resources from other vulnerabilities.

Best Practices of Security

To address BYOD security issues, the enterprise must have a good policy. Some practices must be adopted to build an effective BYOD policy.

• Educate Employees, the primary goal of employee education is to explain to employees that security threats are a danger to both the organization and the employees themselves and that by following policies, they are improving their security and that of their colleagues and helping to prevent catastrophic data breaches that could threaten the organization.
• Separate personal and business data. When employees are using devices, their main concern is privacy. Devices may contain sensitive personal documents or information that employees do not wish to share with the workplace. Business data stored on the device must be protected and accessible only to employees. Whether a solution is used or not, BYOD policies should clearly state how personal and business information can be separated to prevent unnecessary exposure.

Ensure secure network connectivity. An attacker could eavesdrop on the employee’s business activities if an employee is connected to the public internet. Employees connect their devices to a secure network, not just in the office. They connect to the network through a secure and encrypted virtual private network(VPN).

DataUP Can Help You

At DataUp, we are here to help! We provide professional solutions for small and medium-sized businesses to keep your BYOD security, feel free to contact us, and we will be happy to assist you!

Reference:

AppsAnywhere. 2022. A guide to BYOD security. [online] Available at: <https://www.appsanywhere.com/resource-centre/byod/byod-security-guide> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

Digital Guardian. 2022. The Ultimate Guide to BYOD Security: Overcoming Challenges, Creating Effective Policies, and Mitigating Risks to Maximize Benefits. [online] Available at: <https://digitalguardian.com/blog/ultimate-guide-byod-security-overcoming-challenges-creating-effective-policies-and-mitigating#:~:text=Other%20BYOD%20security%20measures&text=Antivirus%20software%20installed%20on%20individual,that%20their%20devices%20are%20protected.> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

eSecurityPlanet. 2022. Ultimate Guide to BYOD Security | eSecurity Planet. [online] Available at: <https://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile/byod-security/> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

Perception Point. 2022. BYOD Security: Threats, Security Measures and Best Practices. [online] Available at: <https://perception-point.io/byod-security-threats-security-measures-and-best-practices/> [Accessed 10 October 2022].