Mobile devices are increasingly changing the way people live and work. Things like smartphones and tablets are joining the work environment of laptops and desktops and are being used as new tools by many businesses. While mobile devices bring convenience and efficiency to enterprises, employees access enterprise networks and data more and more frequently, thus bringing security risks to the sensitive information of enterprises and individuals.

The enterprise must formulate the security policy for using mobile devices in the office network, formulate and implement the corresponding security measures accordingly.

Points of BYOD Security Policy

The bottom line of BYOD security is just as important as the enterprise’s security while minimizing the invasion of employee privacy and usability for personal use. Enterprises that adopt solutions can take full advantage of the benefits of BYOD and reap the reward, such as work-life balance, employee productivity and satisfaction, while effectively alleviating the security risks that have plagued companies that have adopted BYOD.

• Keep anti-virus software up to date. IT departments should aim to keep defensive software up to date and remind users to do the same. Enterprises can even provide users with higher levels of anti-virus software to enhance security and protect digital resources from all aspects.
• Secure connection methods. There are several ways to securely connect to networks and servers, including encrypting data or rerouting signals over a virtual private network(VPN).
• Access restrictions. In the right place, it will help enforce security without compromising the user experience. Cross-domain restrictions limit what users can access, helping to isolate department resources from other vulnerabilities.

Best Practices of Security

To address BYOD security issues, the enterprise must have a good policy. Here are some practices that must be adopted to build an effective BYOD policy.

• Educate Employees, the major goal of employee education is to explain to employees that security threats are a danger to both the organization and the employees themselves and that by following policies, they are improving their own security and that of their colleagues and helping to prevent catastrophic data breaches that could threaten the organization.
• Separate personal and business data, when employees are using devices, their main concern is privacy. Devices may contain sensitive personal documents or information that employees do not wish to share with the workplace. Business data stored on the device must be protected and accessible only to employees. Whether a solution is used or not, BYOD policies should clearly state how personal and business information can be separated to prevent unnecessary exposure.

Ensure secure network connectivity. If an employee is connected to the public internet, an attacker could eavesdrop on the employee’s business activities. Employees connect their devices to a secure network, not just in the office. In any case, they connect to the network through a secure and encrypted virtual private network(VPN).

IP Partners is proud to be one of the foremost retailers of new and refurbished servers in Australia. IP Partners has also been working within the Education Sector for many years. We work with schools providing services and infrastructure projects.

Recently you would have heard Leader Computers being appointed to South Australia’s personal computer and server equipment panel. Leader has a great range of products while also having strong partnerships with Lenovo for Server, Asus for notebooks and so on.

IP Partners has been a reseller of Leader products for many years and has a very good working relationship with the Leader Team. Take a look at our full range of services or get in touch if you want any personal computer, desktop, notebook, or networking needs your school may need. We are here to assist you!

Reference:

AppsAnywhere. 2022. A guide to BYOD security. [online] Available at: <https://www.appsanywhere.com/resource-centre/byod/byod-security-guide> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

Digital Guardian. 2022. The Ultimate Guide to BYOD Security: Overcoming Challenges, Creating Effective Policies, and Mitigating Risks to Maximize Benefits. [online] Available at: <https://digitalguardian.com/blog/ultimate-guide-byod-security-overcoming-challenges-creating-effective-policies-and-mitigating#:~:text=Other%20BYOD%20security%20measures&text=Antivirus%20software%20installed%20on%20individual,that%20their%20devices%20are%20protected.> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

eSecurityPlanet. 2022. Ultimate Guide to BYOD Security | eSecurity Planet. [online] Available at: <https://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile/byod-security/> [Accessed 10 October 2022].

Perception Point. 2022. BYOD Security: Threats, Security Measures and Best Practices. [online] Available at: <https://perception-point.io/byod-security-threats-security-measures-and-best-practices/> [Accessed 10 October 2022].