More and more companies these days are letting employees use their personal gadgets for work. This trend is termed bring-your-own-device or BYOD. This can benefit both the company and the employee. Companies don’t have to spend as much money on computers, tablets, and phones if employees are bringing their own. And as workers are already familiar with their devices, it can greatly improve productivity.
The Risks of BYOD
All of this sounds great but there are some risks in adopting a BYOD work environment that should not be overlooked. A writer for ComputerWorld recently wrote a column talking about this. For one, increasing the amount of devices that are connected to a network increases the risk of malware attacks. Organizations can install anti-virus software on devices they own, but it is tough to manage the safety measures employees are taking using their personal devices.
Company Information at Risk
At the same time, when employees load private workplace data onto their mobile devices, companies face a completely new set of concerns. What if employees lose their mobile devices? There’s no guarantee that sensitive information won’t fall into the wrong hands. Delaney writes that companies must effectively educate their employees on the way to use their mobile devices as safely as possible. Some companies might want to ban outside devices from their networks. That’s not entirely reasonable, though. Outside mobile devices help employees do more work more proficiently. Companies do not want to limit the production of employees by declining them accessibility to the network with these devices.
The BYOD Trend
BYOD is a trend that isn’t likely to fade away. Mobile devices are crucial work tools for a growing number of employees. Companies, then, must make sure to teach these employees on how to safely connect them to the workplace network.