Did you know that business mobile users currently make up about 30% of all mobile subscribers in the U.S.? Not surprisingly, many people are bringing their devices to work and using them to conduct business. Because of this, businesses establish BYOD, or Bring your own device, policies. However, studies show that about 60% of companies do not have a formal policy, creating security concerns. Here are three things you should know about responsible mobile device management.
1. Risks of Data Breach
One recent article on CSO Online speculates that a few reasons many businesses do not have a policy in place is because they either do not understand the importance of regulating devices, or are ignoring how prevalent their use is in the company. Keeping your head in the sand will not keep your data safe, though. Of companies where mobile devices are used, 47% have experienced a security breach as a result. A security breach could be as minor as causing a glitch, or as major as a hacker accessing sensitive client information.
2. The Solution Isn’t to Get Rid of Devices
Of companies with BYOD policies, almost 75% choose to enact highly restrictive policies that either requires approval of devices, or bans them completely. For most industries, though, this is more work than simply having good security. Especially because user friendly Byod can, in itself, be beneficial. One study, in fact, found that companies could save as much as $3,100 per employee as a result of the increased productivity, streamlined workflow, and greater billing accuracy that results from BYOD.
3. How iPhone Management Can Help
A strong BYOD policy does not restrict mobile usage. Instead, it makes use of better software and encryption in order to keep data safe without impinging on how users interact with their phones. For example, SaaS, or Software as a Service, can be utilized for mobile device management. SaaS is also known as cloud computing, and it allows a central system to deliver software without having to install it on each individual mobile device. This helps mitigate many security risks that are otherwise created by missing patches in device security, and allows for quick updates to hundreds of devices.
How is iPhone security managed at your company? Let us know in the comments!
Hm, good point, because my initial reaction was to say, “do we really need to allow people to bring their phones so that they can play more of that Facebook farming game?” but you do point out the benefits of more inclusive BYOD.
Hm, good point, because my initial reaction was to say, “do we really need to allow people to bring their phones so that they can play more of that Facebook farming game?” but you do point out the benefits of more inclusive BYOD.