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A lot of businesses introduce BYOD policies to make things more convenient for their employees while driving down costs. But more convenience for them also means less convenience for you, and more risk for issues. Having your employees move about and use their devices to access your network comes with inherent dangers that you should be aware of. If you have just introduced BYOD or are thinking of doing so, here are some of the common risks that come with them and how to avoid them.
Human Error
Network security is one of the biggest issues of BYOD devices. These devices are handled by humans, and you should never forget this, since humans make errors. Most attacks are perpetrated by people who were able to manipulate safe users to access sensitive information or wreak havoc on systems. The problem is that it’s impossible to monitor and control your employees’ behavior 24/7. The only thing you can do is make sure that access to data is restricted and that you put a barrier between their devices and the network.
If that’s something that worries you, and it should, then we suggest you look at managed IT services that can provide network security solutions. They could install barriers that would require authentication for people to access different applications. They will also be able to spot suspicious activity, intervene, and limit the damage.
They’ll play a very important role in forensics as well. This could allow you to identify culprits or see if the information one of your employees is giving you is consistent with what happened.
Malware Infiltration
This is another common issue with BYOD. Again, human error has a huge role to play here. Your employees might not be careful enough with the information or applications they download and use on their devices. Something as seemingly benign as a game could be a trojan horse for malware. Let this person onto your network, and they could pass it on.
Legal Issues
BYOD could open you up to all sorts of legal problems. You could have to deal with compliance issues or even legal action if some sensitive information leaks out of one of your employees’ devices. This could be as a result of something they have done, but also something totally out of their control like their device getting stolen. While this may be unfortunate, you will still need to be held liable and may have to face the consequences if that happens.
Poor Device Management
Then, you have to worry about employees leaving and how much access they have to your systems. You will need to act fast if there’s some sort of dispute and they end up abruptly leaving. It could take all but a few seconds to cause widespread damage. This is another case where working with a good team will be important.
BYOD has many benefits, but it brings many challenges with it as well. Be aware of what these are and consider working with an expert team to avoid issues.
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