Is Your Company’s BYOD Strategy Destined to Fail?

Many companies have been reluctant to allow their employees to bring their own devices to work. However, most companies have found that they haven’t been able to stop them from doing so. Others have found that employees can be more productive when they are allowed to bring their mobile devices to work. These businesses realize that they need to change their perspective on BYOD policies. Here are some things that they may need to know.

Overly Restrictive Data Security Can Fail

Most companies take security very seriously. Some of them have created very strict data protection policies, which often include prohibiting employees from bringing their mobile devices to work. However, a new study from Gartner found that about 20% of these polices are going to fail because they are overly restrictive.

Ken Dulaney, the Gartner VP that wrote the report, acknowledged that technology companies are creating increasingly strict policies regarding security on personal computers. He expects that they will impose equally strict mobile security laws, which may be counterproductive.

Dulaney said that many employees are protesting many of the BYOD polices that their employers have imposed. These policies typically require the employee to allow the employer to gain access to their mobile devices. This means that their company’s IT department may have access to their passwords and other confidential information.

Debate on the Need for a BYOD Policy Rages On

Many companies don’t have a BYOD security policy at all. Some experts feel that it is better not to have one, while others argue that it is extremely reckless not to police employee mobile activity. Most feel that some BYOD policy is necessary, but agree with Dulaney that these policies shouldn’t be overly restrictive.

One study found that nearly two thirds of UK companies don’t have a BYOD policy. This study showed that these companies face a number of security risks that need to be resolved.

Two out of five companies that responded to this report admitted that they faced IT problems because they didn’t have a clear policy. Nearly three quarters of the companies that faced problems said they had viruses or security breaches as a result. Nearly half of the respondents had problems with network connections and almost a quarter said they lost access to the Internet or email.

These companies clearly admit that implementing BYOD rules is very important. However, they don’t usually know what these rules should entail. They may need to work closely with a company that specializes in setting one up.

Kevin Burden, Director of Mobility at Strategy Analytics, argues that all BYOD policies are overly restrictive and cause more problems than they solve. He feels that companies would be better off not implementing any at all. He views are not shared by most of his colleagues, but has still encouraged some of his company’s clients not to create on.

The debate is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. However, most experts agree that a reasonable policy is the ideal solution for their clients.

About the author: Kalen Smith is a technology guru that writes about data security. He suggests using Trend Micro as a provider.