How To Build A Secure Byod Framework

By Author: Susan Smith
Total Articles: 132
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BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, is a concept introduced in the year 2009 allowing the workforce of an enterprise to bring their personal mobile devices to the workplace and use the same devices for accessing the apps provided by the company or to use data which is the privilege of only the company. The BYOD policy allows employees to bring all forms of mobile devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. But research shows that more than 90 percent employees who have embraced the BYOD framework use either their smartphone or tablet for completing official work or installing apps provided by the enterprise they work for.

While it has been claimed that the introduction of the BYOD policy has led to increase in enterprise productivity levels, many analysts are of the opinion that it is after jeopardizing the security of the company’s confidential information that BYOD tools are achieving a high success rate. Listed below are few security norms to abide by to make mobile devices that are part of the BYOD framework more beneficial for the enterprise:

* Identify Risk Elements that BYOD Framework Poses – Mapping ...
... of all risk elements that the mobile devices used as part of a BYOD framework may pose and drawing up their corresponding regulations is necessary. Enterprises must also measure out in advance how much such risk may negatively impact the business.

* Set up a BYOD Committee – A team of special IT professionals who are well acquainted with the working of mobile devices that employees get to work should be set up. This team must be able to identify the risks posed by the devices. The team must essentially consist of information technology, information security, and business analyst stakeholders.

* Design Policies that Must be Enforced to all Devices Connecting to the Enterprise Network – The above committee must research on the working pattern of the devices and ways of using apps by the workforce in order to design policies which will ensure the security of the enterprise’s confidential data. The enforcement of such security policies for all types of devices ranging from smartphones to tablets and portable computers is also the responsibility of the committee.

* Build Well Thought Out Project Plans – The plan for ensuring the security of the BYOD framework should include features like management of remote devices, control over mobile apps, compliance of the policy with audit reports, encryption of data allowed to be used on devices, augmentation of cloud storage securities, wiping all devices post retirement, revoking the access to these devices whenever contact is established between an employee and a client or any other form of end user, and revoking access to all mobile devices used under the BYOD plan if an employee is terminated from service in his/her company.

* Evaluation of Solutions is Necessary – Considering the impact that app solutions which are part of the BYOD framework have on an enterprise’s existing network is important. This will help to enhance the performance of future technologies deployed under the BYOD plan.

* Implementation of these Solutions is also Important – Since the BYOD framework is open to all sections of enterprise employees, the stakeholder department must expand pilot after organizational criteria is established.

Above mentioned simple steps may be followed to ensure a secure Bring Your Own Device program for enterprises.

The author is associated with Copper Mobile, one of the best enterprise application development firms, iPhone app developers in Dallas TX and app developers in Austin