A recent survey conducted by Gartner predicts that by the end of the year, nearly half of the employers worldwide will allow or require their employees to bring their own device to the workplace.

Business today require clearly defined user policies to ensure security measures are met while collaboration efforts are employed. In BYOD environments, employees are using various types of devices in office ranging from smartphones, to tablet, to laptops. The challenge is to make sure that all these devices and security protocols are compatible with each other.

Statistica predicts that in 2016, the total number of global smartphone users will reach 2.08 billion. That means a substantial portion of these individuals will be using their devices to access work files, emails, and data. An increasing number of businesses are reaching out to professional Managed Service providers to ensure that their BYOD policy is crafted for maximum security and compliance. That is why at Keeran Networks, we offer business with comprehensive Managed Services in Edmonton.

If you are thinking of implementing a BYOD policy in your business, there are a lot of factors to consider. From authorizing devices, to acceptable usage, to support, liabilities and disclaimers, every part of your strategy must be documented and communicated within the organization.

To help you get a better grasp of what BYOD is all about, we address some of the most common queries below:

Why Do You Need a Policy?

Surveys conducted by both Cisco and Forrester reveal that businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to keep track of all the unprotected apps and services employees are using. Everytime confidential data and files are accessed using these apps, the business is vulnerable to potential threats.

Research by Cisco show that businesses are often running 15 to 22 times more cloud services than they authorized. While another report by Forrester states that 53% of employees admit to using unsupported apps and services.

To gain a competitive edge in today’s world, businesses must protect their confidential data, while granting employees the freedom to collaborate with well communicated BYOD policies.

What kinds of tech will your system support?

It is important to establish exactly which technologies are allowed and compatible in your system. Will your business support  Android, iOS, Windows, or Blackberry operating systems? Android is the most popular among users, with 61% of the market share, followed by 32% of iPhone. Thus, businesses must craft their BYOD policy based on what their employees use.

The next step is to communicate the policies within the organization and make sure that your employees know which devices they are allowed to use to connect to your network, and the prerequisites they must follow.

Additionally, your company must also plan out how the bills for the devices and services will be handled. Recent Gartner research predicts that 38% of companies will switch from paying for full devices to splitting the bill by the end of 2016, with clear definitions on what the company will and will not pay for.

Who is allowed to BYOD?

Creating BYOD policy also means that businesses must at first identify exactly who it is for and why. Is it simply for top level management to conduct virtual meetings? Or is it for everyone to access files and emails?

The challenge is to identify the proper strategy to use and for which scenario. If your employees are accessing company-owned data on your private cloud with personal devices, you have to find the right step to take. Do you simply remove their login credentials? Or do you have to wipe their device completely?

That is why professional IT solutions are becoming increasingly popular, especially in highly regulated industries where data confidentiality and access management is vital.

What can be accessed?

If your CIO is estimating that your business is using 51 cloud services, but in reality it’s really 730, something definitely needs to be fixed. The figures are exactly what Cisco revealed in their survey, making it a serious concern for businesses everywhere.

Employees must have access to fundamental business functions such as email, calendar, and contacts, but beyond that, the rest has to be pre-planned and approved by the organization. Are they allowed to access their social media profiles? Skype? Dropbox? Before you go cutting off every privilege, it is also important to know what is important to your employees and can help them be more productive.

Additionally, security protocols of devices should also be clearly communicated within the organization. Your employees must know exactly why they cannot use facebook from their smartphone, or why they have to change passwords every 3 months. Instead of simply forcing them to abide by the rules and regulations, it is better to make them understand the risk and not lose team morale over a lack in communication.

What should your policy cover?

A successful BYOD policy is a combination of all the above factors, tailored to match business needs. The extent of how complex and comprehensive your policy must be varies between businesses and industries. Depending on how confidential your data is, you can craft the precise policy of limitations and access that you can allow your employees.

To get a better sense of how it should be laid out, you can check out the two templates created by Manager Daily and the White House.

Managing and creating a full-stack BYOD policy is challenging and not every business can take care of it entirely internally. If you are looking for some professional guidance, Keeran Networks is here for you. As industry-best IT solution providers in Edmonton, our team of specialists are dedicated to help businesses reach full freedom and end-user device management in the workplace.

Drop us a call and get started on creating the perfect BYOD policy that your business and employees can benefit from.