BYOD, or “Bring Your Own Device,” refers to the trend of employees using their own devices for work purposes. BYOD policies allow employees to use their own laptops, smartphones, and tablets for work-related purposes, rather than being forced to use company-owned and managed devices.
Pros and Cons of BYOD
Companies set up BYOD policies to allow employees to use their personal devices at work. There are BYOD advantages, especially in small businesses, but there are definite downsides as well. You should consider the advantages and disadvantages of BYOD before deciding whether or not to implement it.
Pros:
- Employees do not need to learn anything
- Employee morale could be improved
- Purchasing and replacing technology costs are reduced for the company
- Due to personal upgrades, technology is more up-to-date
Cons:
- Risks associated with higher security
- There might be employees without their own devices
- Diverse operating systems and devices require more complex IT support
- The potential loss of privacy of employees and the company
Emerging Trends in BYOD
The market is skyrocketing for BYOD. 2022 looks to continue this impressive growth, and according to cassinfo.com, “it’s predicted to reach $485 billion by 2025.”
BYOD in workplaces has never been more popular. The line between corporate offices and remote work is increasingly blurred as 87% of companies rely on employees’ ability to access mobile apps.
To keep up with an evolving digital landscape and cater to emerging trends, enterprises will need to update their policies as BYOD evolves.
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Disadvantages of BYOD
Risks to privacy include:
Before an employee can use his equipment for work, you must decide how you will protect your company’s confidential information. One of the disadvantages of BYOD can be when an employee leaves if you don’t state clearly what you will do with classified information on the device from the beginning.
The number of your employee’s clients remains in their records even if she quits and moves to your competitor.
Your former employee will be able to move those clients much easier to her new company when they call. If the customers come to her, even if she signed a non-compete agreement, you can’t stop them. She is safe as long as she doesn’t pursue the customers.
Risks of higher security:
How does your organization generate and use data? It’s easy to create rules for employees who use company devices, but not quite so easy to tell them not to let their children use their laptops. With those disadvantages of BYOD in the workplace, how will you ensure the security of your company information?
It is BYOD policy best practices for employee devices to be wiped clean when they leave the company. Personal information should not be deleted, however. No one wants to have all of their personal photos and documents removed to secure confidential information.
IT support systems that are more complex:
A standard-issue computer, tablet, and phone makes it easier for the IT department to support and fix them. When everyone has their own device, maintaining electronics can become much more challenging. Will custom software work on all devices if it needs to be installed? What if an employee refuses to update her laptop? In a company where everyone uses Windows, what happens if someone wants to run Linux?
How To Secure BYOD Devices
BYOD policy best practices are to define a security policy. When employees bring their own devices to work, it’s critical to maintain company security.
Specifying permissible device types and establishing a stringent security policy for all devices are just a couple of examples of how to secure BYOD devices. As an example, consumers may choose not to use native security features such as locking device screens or requiring encryption because users are inconvenienced by these additional steps. A clear company policy motivates employees doing BYOD work from home to use these simple features, and even simple measures can enhance security in the workplace.
Companies that utilize BYOD policies can provide components such as SSL certificates for BYOD authentication. This step, among others, can address BYOD privacy concerns.
It is essential that your BYOD policy clearly outlines which apps are owned and which are prohibited, as well as reimbursement (e.g., will employees be reimbursed for an application fee, paid for some applications, or a percentage of monthly bills?). A BYOD policy should also outline device security requirements (e.g., do employees have to install a mobile device security application before they can access company data, or can they choose their own security solutions provided they meet requirements outlined by IT?).
When defining your BYOD policy, you should also consider employee exits. What happens to company data that is stored on the device of an employee when the employee leaves the company? A written policy should explain in detail the procedures that must be followed when an employee separates from the company, such as the wiping of the employee’s device by IT.
A BYOD policy should disclose risks, liabilities, and disclaimers. If an employee’s device must be wiped for security reasons, the company is liable for the employee’s personal information, as well as the employee’s negligence or misuse of sensitive company data.
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BYOD Policy
Many companies are adopting a BYOD policy (a bring your own device policy) because keeping pace with technological advancements is difficult for businesses as it is for individuals. Employees often have recently updated devices, and are eager to use them at work and at home.
The millennial generation has now established itself in the workforce, especially in white-collar jobs. Whether they are working or playing, they are accustomed to using their own devices. Their influence is causing companies to adopt BYOD policies as a result.
More progressive organizations allow employees to use their own devices, such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones, instead of the equipment provided by the company. In addition to legal, compliance, and security issues, there is a multitude of other concerns as well.
Both employers and employees can benefit from a well-crafted BOYD policy.
BYOD Policy for Small Business
Your business should consider creating BYOD strategies and guidelines if the disadvantages listed above concern you. Or in a more positive light, the advantages of allowing BYOD policy Having a BYOD policy for small business in place to preserve your company’s integrity and continuance is crucial. Consider the last time you left an issue at work alone to “work itself out.” There’s a good chance that it didn’t work out.
BYOD Policy Template
Common sections that exist in a typical BYOD policy template are as follows:
- Purpose: Describe why you think adopting a BYOD policy is prudent despite the additional risk.
- Permissible Use: Lay out specifically what usage of personal devices is acceptable and what is not.
- Registering Devices for Access: Make sure your business understands which personal devices will be accessing your network.
- Security Requirements: List best practices for personal users of your network like password protection, multi-factor authentication, encryption, anti-brute force attack systems, etc.
- Data Policy: For example, giving employees express instruction to keep their personal data separate from company data.
- Employee Privacy: Explain under what circumstances your company will analyze personal data for the security and protection of the company so that employees understand how that affects their privacy.
- Disclaimer: Explain that the policy only applies to registered devices and not any other equipment.
- User Acknowledgement and Agreement: Have the employee sign to indicate that they have read and understood the policy.
There are a great variety of templates available upon which to model your BYOD policy. NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, offers standards to follow for such projects.
BYOD Policy Examples
Some BYOD policy examples define the specific equipment employees should use if they are purchasing their own. Phones and laptops would be examples. As discussed, registering each device on the next work is an example of BYOD policy best practices. Companies with BYOD policies have much more effective cybersecurity.
There are many forms in which BYOD policies can be implemented. A BYOD laptop policy and a personal computer policy are sometimes offered to employees with a stipend for purchasing and maintaining their own equipment.
BYOD policy for small business must be clear. If your BYOD policy is clear, employees do not need to be reimbursed for devices they already own. Employees benefit from the ability to use the technology they want. By allowing your staff to use their preferred device, you are not renting equipment from them. You might also offer some money to reimburse employees if you are implementing BYOD instead of providing computers.
Several sources are available for obtaining a free BYOD policy template. Sans Technology Institute collaborates with experts and leaders in information security to develop a set of security policy templates for your use.
Faculty at SANS have developed more than 150 open-source cybersecurity tools. There are more than 40 information security books authored by SANS faculty members. More than 3500 research papers and webcasts on information security have been produced by SANS faculty members.
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Sources
- https://www.citrix.com/solutions/unified-endpoint-management/what-is-byod.html
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/bring-your-own-device-byod-job-policy-4139870
- https://digitalguardian.com/blog/ultimate-guide-byod-security-overcoming-challenges-creating-effective-policies-and-mitigating
- https://www.upcounsel.com/byod-policyhttps://www.business.org/services/phone/guide-to-byod-bring-your-own-device/http://www.thecyberadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BYOD-Policy-Template.pdf
- https://www.wordlayouts.com/byod-policy-sample/#:~:text=BYOD%20policies%20are%20often%20set%20by%20organizations%20to,purchase%20and%20maintain%20technology%20equipment%20of%20their%20choice.
- https://www.business.com/articles/smb-byod-policy/
- https://www.sans.org/information-security-policy/
- https://www.sans.edu/