Beware of These BYOD Risks for Your Business

With the rise of cloud communications more and more companies have adopted a “bring your own device,” (AKA BYOD) policy. Due to the prevalence of wireless technology, combined with the emergence of cloud tools to keep people connected at all times, it’s clear that BYOD is the next logical step in office tech evolution.

While BYOD offers a wide array of benefits for companies and organizations of all sizes, it’s also important for those in charge to understand the possible risks that come with adopting these policies.

If you are ready to learn what these risks are, keep reading.

Issues with Stolen and Lost Devices

According to one study on BYOD, approximately 22% of all mobile devices ever created will be stolen or lost at some point, with 50% of the items lost or stolen never being found. Criminals mainly steal the devices because of their value. However, some criminals steal the devices for the explicit purpose of accessing private data. After all, if an employee can automatically log into the business network, then anyone who steals it can have access to that information, too.

Inadequate or Nonexistent Password Protection

Many users don’t use proper password protection on their personal devices, including any applications on the device. Even if they do use passwords, they usually choose simple ones for convenience purposes. If hacking or a theft occurs, these devices will are usually compromised quickly. For that reason, it’s important to choose strong, unique passwords that vary with each account.

A Breach of Mobile Apps

There are more than a few malicious apps on the market today. Many of them aim to corrupt the device and to gain access to private information in the device. The user’s personal information will become compromised, and so will any company information that’s stored or accessed on the device. This puts the company’s sensitive information at risk of being accessed by nefarious individuals.

Non-Encrypted Connections and Data

Imagine if you sent your data, which includes your voice calls, through the public internet with no safeguards or protections. It’s at risk for interception by cybercriminals while at rest or while in transit. BYOD introduces more endpoints through which your team will send the data. It can be a serious risk and real problem for any company that opts to implement a BYOD policy without preparing for potential issues.

How to Safeguard Your Company After Implementing a New BYOD Policy

Now, the question is this: What you can do? Should you completely scrap the idea of BYOD for your company or organization? There’s no need to take that extreme of a step. There are a few security steps you can utilize to help ensure any BYOD policy implemented for your company is safe and sound.

Some tips that will help you keep things safe and secure include the following:

Secure all mobile devices
Secure all apps that are on the devices
Select a cloud provider that offers high-quality protection and security
Use some type of mobile antivirus program
Continually perform risk assessments

One of the most important things you should do is make certain that your employees are involved in the discussion. After all, you are talking about their own device which you are trying to regulate and protect. As a result, the owner of the device needs to have some level of say-so in the policy to ensure that it works for them.

BYOD Concerns? Talk to AnchorSix

We’re experts at assisting organizations successfully implement secure BYOD policies. If you’re ready to add BYOD to your company for serious productivity gains, be sure to consult with our experts first.