What Your IT Guy Wishes You Knew About BYOD

BYOD. Yes, it sounds like something that should be included on a party invitation. But to your IT team, BYOD is anything but a tasty beverage because it requests people to Bring Your Own Device. According to a Gartner study, 38 percent of companies expect to stop providing devices to workers by 2016. This means the purchasing decision will potentially be in your hands.

As more organizations allow employees to bring their own devices for work, IT service desks across various industries are preparing strategies for how to best handle this. As your new iPhone 6 goes from all personal to work mode, there are a few things IT would like you to keep in mind:

• The password on your phone is critical. Billions of dollars were lost or stolen last year due to compromised security on mobile phones. While it might sound like a broken record, your password is truly the first line of defense in preventing business information from being stolen, along with your phone.
• Security policies exist to prevent the company from data loss, potential reputation issues, or lost or leaked information that could lead to a lawsuit.
• The IT service desk is limited by the type of software and hardware it can support. Just because you have 20 apps on your iPad doesn’t mean the help desk will be able to resolve issues with each one. You are accountable if there’s a software issue or replacement is required.
• It’s completely OK if you decide to have a separate device solely for work. Separating personal from work on these devices may be more costly to the employee but prevents security concerns for the company. It’s up to you to decide how careful you want to be.
• You should familiarize yourself with all privacy settings on your equipment, including auto-connecting to Wi-Fi and location-based options on apps. Consider restricting these options.
• If IT has restricted or banned the use of an app, particularly a social media app, it’s because it presents a security risk or provides potential access to sensitive corporate resources.
• If you leave the company, most IT teams have a plan in place to back up your personal photos and apps. However, depending on their policy, IT may choose to perform a wipe of the BYOD equipment as part of your exit. My money’s on the latter.

So, destroying Candy Crush Saga Level 127 may have to wait as you move your phone, laptop or tablet from strictly personal to include work. Just remember that your IT service desk has implemented policies for the organization’s protection as well as your own.