Around 67% of employees are currently using personal devices at work.
Giving your
people the freedom to use the mobile devices that they prefer in and around the
office can be a good thing. Afterall, who doesn’t feel more productive when
they can use the tools they already feel comfortable and familiar with?
Not only
does a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy keep your staff happy, but it can
save your business a fortune in purchasing professional smartphones for the
workforce too.
Of course,
if you want to get the most out of mobile devices in your company, then you’re
going to need to make sure you’re taking steps to keep those tools secure.
Mobile devices are some of the most vulnerable tech items we own because
they’re often easily exploited by hackers. However, a well-written mobile
device policy for employees can minimise the risk and keep your teams on the
right track.
Here’s how
you can write a mobile device usage policy that works.
Step 1: Decide which
devices you’re going to permit
First,
think about what kind of operating systems and accessories you’re willing to
support. Some tools can be more secure than others, and your IT team might be
more comfortable serving a specific operating system. Keeping your requirements
the same for all of your employees will reduce the amount of work you need to
do when it comes to managing mobile policies.
Ask
yourself whether you’re going to allow both Android and iOS phones, or whether
it will be easier to request your users to stick to just one. Additionally,
make sure you know whether your mobile device usage policy also includes
tablets.
Step 2: Establish security
and backup policies
Some of
your employees are unlikely to have lock screens and passwords on their
personal smartphone and mobile devices. If that’s the case, you’re going to
need to overcome this issue before you implement your BYOD policy. Make sure
that your employees know they’re going to have to take steps to keep their
devices secure if they want to use them at work. This means:
- Implementing
a secure password for the phone itself, complete with a PIN or lock screen
- Using
two-factor authentication for any software or tools related to the business
- Being
open to biometric security strategies like fingerprint scanning for extra
security
To keep
professional data safe and secure, make sure that your teams know how to correctly
back their mobile devices up to the cloud too.
Step 3: Define a service
policy
Next,
you’ll need to consider how much your organisation will support the
employee-owned devices in a BYOD policy. If your employees are using their
devices for work as well as play, then you have a stake in making sure that
they can continue to access the tools and apps you need. However, you can’t
devote your IT team to troubleshooting problems that arise from personal usage
of a device.
Make sure
that your employees understand the boundaries of your service offering when it
comes to implementing your mobile device usage policy. Decide how much time and
skill you’re going to dedicate to providing helpdesk support, fixing broken
devices, and even offering loaner devices if a phone or tablet is being
serviced.
Step 4: Choose which apps
will be allowed
Apps are
becoming an increasingly important component of the modern workforce. Whether
they’re apps that will enable your people to collaborate more effectively or
tools for word processing, you need to ensure that the software your employees
use is secure and well-protected.
One option
is to come up with a blacklist as part of your mobile device policy for
employees. This will outline all of the software that you don’t want your teams
to install on their personal/business devices. You’ll also need to think about
whether you can avoid having your teams download software at all by giving them
access to tools over the cloud instead.
Step 5: Set up an exit
strategy
Finally,
make sure you know what you’re going to do if someone decides to leave your
company and take their device with them. Are you going to be able to wipe their
phone of all the data that might be related to your company? How will you make
sure that they can no longer access cloud-based software and other applications
relevant to your business?
When you’re
implementing a BYOD policy, you can’t just ask someone to return their phone
and leave it with you if they move to another company. With that in mind, make
sure you’re prepared to take the right steps when enforcing the removal of
access tokens, data, and applications.
Implementing a mobile
device usage policy
Writing a
mobile device usage policy is crucial for any company considering using BYOD or
mobile tools at work. Remember, your document may have to evolve as your
business grows and changes, so make sure you track adherence to your rules and
put strategies in place so you can continuously audit and improve your
guidelines.
If you’re
ready to learn more about security and mobile device management, talk to the team at Nice Network – we can help you get started.