How to effectively integrate BYOD into your business
The ‘Bring Your Own Device’ trend is picking up speed, especially with the success of tablets such as the iPad. BYOD may be appealing to businesses, with more currently on the uptake than ever before, but there’s also the very real concern over potential security issues. We’ve put together some things to bear in mind below when integrating a BYOD policy into your own business.
What do you want to achieve?
If you’re planning to introduce a BYOD policy into your business, you have to first consider what you’d like to achieve and what benefits it could bring for your employees. For instance, do you want to increase staff productivity, or help improve communication/data access for employees who regularly travel between offices? Think about the ways BYOD could improve your enterprise.
Carry out an audit
Before you decide to put any policies in place, check how many of your employees are already using BYOD and for what reasons. Work out the type of devices they’re using, the type of apps being used, and why employees are choosing their own devices over business-supplied ones (if applicable).
Consider how data will be stored and accessed
Your business must at all times comply with the Data Protection Act, and any BYOD policy also needs to also take this into account. The ICO has published specific guidance on BYOD in this context, which can help you fully prepare for rolling out a BYOD policy across your business. You can access it here: http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/topic_guides/online/byod
Here’s an extract: “It is crucial that as data controller you ensure that all processing for personal data which is under your control remains in compliance with the DPA. Particularly in the event of a security breach, you must be able to demonstrate that you have secured, controlled or deleted all personal data on a particular device.”
Assess the risk
Risk assessment is just as essential for BYOD as it is for other areas. For instance, what happens if someone’s personal device is damaged or broken on your property; who will be liable? Your BYOD policy needs to cover all areas and should also be something that most of your employees can agree on.
