Taking the right level of care and avoiding BYOD’s biggest pitfalls should be a breeze.
Most IT bosses will have spent time trying to convince their company’s big decision makers that IT investment is the way forward, but it’s not always a one-way thing. The chance to boost productivity and improve output can sometimes get in the way of a CEO’s ability to account for risk. Quite often, the hazards only appear when it’s too late.
Bring your own device (BYOD) is a great example of this. The benefits of embracing it are potentially game changing, but some of the pitfalls just don’t bear thinking about.
Truth be told, it’s likely to be part of your business’s operations whether you know about it or not, so welcoming it with open arms is probably the best way to go. At least then it should be easier to manage properly.
To make the most of this decision – and minimise risk – there are a few factors that should be considered by management-level executives. First, it’s important to take a holistic approach. The effectiveness of a BYOD strategy isn’t just the responsibility of the IT department – policies must be watertight and enforced, so the company’s HR and legal teams should also be heavily involved.
The biggest concern in the minds of most enterprise decision makers will be security, and this is undoubtedly a good thing. It is the biggest BYOD hazard and it both deserves and demands plenty of attention. At present, the consumer market’s most popular devices weren’t developed with corporate needs in mind. While this may change in the future, it’s something that needs to be accounted for properly now.
Above all, ensure the lines between personal and professional data are always clear. Much of this will come down to the policies in place, but there are also dedicated tools to help. The rise of dual-persona devices seems imminent, so keep an eye on the developments and be sure to make the most of the equipment available.
