5 Tips to Tackle Rising BYOD Threats in Enterprises

– Vinod Kumar, Managing Director, Satcom Infotech

The increasing usage of smart devices among employees has forever changed the mobile device computing landscape for enterprise IT. The BYOD phenomenon has emerged as an unstoppable force in the business space as it allows employees to work more flexibly and efficiently on-the-go. BYOD also helps companies leverage resources for maximum efficiency, reduce costs and increase productivity. Gartner predicts that by 2016, almost 4 out of 10 organizations will rely exclusively on BYOD, implying they will no longer provide any devices to employees, and 85 percent of businesses will have some kind of BYOD program in place by 2020.

Unlike traditional desktops, BYOD exposes an organization to a variety of operating systems, new applications and platforms that have become a kind of headache for IT administrators. Consider the recent attack ‘Heartbleed’ where hackers caused millions in damages after they wiped clean the company’s employee-owned mobiles.

Has “Breach-Your-Own-Data” become the new BYOD? How do enterprises optimize productivity, satisfaction and work styles without jeopardizing security and still maintaining control over the mobile computing environment?

Here are some simple steps businesses can follow to improve their security while embracing new trends like mobility and BYOD:

1.    Enable a master data management that supports various platforms: Tablets and smartphones are likely to use a mix of Windows, iOS and Android based operating systems. So, choose a security solution which scans multiple operating systems and can identify vulnerabilities within all of them. It should also allow administrators to set policies, lock or wipe valuable data if lost or stolen, and follow compliance rules while securing access to emails and corporate documents.

2.    Apply device encryption to achieve flexibility, compliance and data privacy: As more and more mobile devices hold sensitive corporate data, IT administrators are under pressure to increase security and decrease risk. A true security solution ensures corporate documents remain secure by encrypting them, so that while sharing or saving data they remain secure beyond a particular device and even into the ‘cloud’.

3.    Use integrated and comprehensive security to protect devices from malicious attacks: Examining and keeping the mobile users safe from malicious apps, OTGs and other threats play a vital role in protecting mobiles from malware attacks. A true security solution should also prevent users from accessing malicious websites. Find an integrated and comprehensive security solution which provides antivirus protection as well as web filtering feature for network, endpoint, server, cloud, encryption and mobile.

4.    Set up a network access control to reduce risk of data breaches: Without strong identity authentication, it’s much easier for hackers to gain access to corporate data or to mimic user identities. Recent network security issues like advanced attackers and BYOD have demonstrated that certain devices that IT is not aware about, are the perfect targets for hackers. Therefore, to minimize risk, your security solution must detect non-compliant mobile devices, the moment they attempt to connect to your network and block their access to Wi-Fi and VPN. This reduces your risk of data breaches by setting a block to network access based on the device’s compliance status.

5.    Make use of one license per user to minimize overhead: Use security solution which is simplified per user licensing. It should also support the low users with its simplified self-service portal for installation and upgrade procedures. This enables the workflow of users to help them and remediate compliance issues without calling the help desk.