In previous blogs we have gone over current BYOD technologies, the benefits, etc. But the one part we have yet to tackle is the security issue. Security still ranks as the biggest unease with organizations switching to BYOD. But it still hasn’t deterred decision makers from pursuing the adaption. This is because BYOD has been proven to enhance employee productivity, efficiency and work time.
So, you’re interested and want to begin your journey into BYOD. But you’re a little unsure of how to go about it. Well don’t worry, we are here to help with a simple guide to get you started. Below we have put together a 6 step process to help you begin your organizations BYOD friendly environment.
Choose which devices you will allow into your network.
The first part to setting up a secure BYOD environment is to determine which devices you will grant access to your network. Are you going to allow mobile devices, tablets, laptops, etc.. Some devices are more secure than others, so it is important to determine which ones you will allow. It’s also a good idea to talk to people within the various departments of your business to understand what devices they think would be most beneficial. This can help narrow down which ones you will grant access to.
Which operating systems will you allow.
Now that you have your devices chosen, time to determine which operating system these devices will need to use. Once you have this determined and have your network set up for it, make sure your employees make it so their device is always updating to the newest version of the software. This will ensure that the latest improvements will be within the device to further secure it from viruses, spyware and malware.
Determine BYOD by who, what, where and when.
Next is to determine who has access, to what, when and where. A good way to approach this is by focusing on the employees position and functionality. Certain employees might need to be able to access network information regularly, while others might just need to get phone calls and emails. The more you narrow down who needs what and restrict certain accesses, the more secure your BYOD plan will be.
Create an inventory of all authorized devices and users of these devices.
You have determined what devices you are going to allow, who gets to use them and what they get to access. Now it’s time to create a inventory of this. Create a inventory list that tells you all the information regarding each device by user and capability. This will help you investigate, understand and fix if any security issue that might arise.
Conduct security checks on a continuous bases.
Finally, just like you would do for any business process. You need to regularly evaluate your network and security measures. By evaluating on a regular bases you will have a better understanding as to how your BYOD environment is working. It also reminds you to make updates to your network and tweak if necessary to further secure your network.
Like we said, this is a guide to getting you started with your BYOD environment. If you’re curious to get more information on creating a BYOD solution for your organization check out our whitepaper “Five Requirements of BYOD for Mobile Unified Communications”.