It is predicted that in 2016 BYOD will become a business necessity rather than a privilege. In a recent survey, 72 per cent of organisations polled were permitting or planning to implement BYOD. BYOD includes employees accessing corporate data such as emails or documents through the use of their own devices. The cloud has been at the forefront of enabling this change.
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There are many benefits to using cloud storage over the more traditional computer data storage. Cloud storage offers flexibility. It means that data is always available to the user, from any location with Internet access.
Three of the most popular types of storage are iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive. The most successful is Google Drive. Its capacity to keep data in one place, using online storage, and the flexibility to continue working even when offline, makes it user friendly. Dropbox allows the simple sharing of a number of different devices, whilst iCloud backs up mail, calendar, contacts and storage.
The main concerns around BYOD are safety and security. Using strong passwords with a range of numbers, letters, capitals and symbols is strongly advised
These types of storage and their many components such as Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and online calendars have made working more streamlined. With these facilities teams can work anywhere and at anytime. It’s unsurprising that businesses have embraced these changes especially as recent research has indicated that it makes their workforce more efficient and productive.
The main concerns around BYOD are safety and security. Using strong passwords with a range of numbers, letters, capitals and symbols is strongly advised. Other obvious recommendations include not using the same passwords and never to share them.
If you are using your own device password security is unlikely to be breached, however using browsers within the workplace can confuse matters. Often browsers will ask if you’d like it to remember that password. If you don’t sign out of the browser a colleague could use your login information. Always remember to log out.
Using a trusted BYOD platform such as Purple is also key to providing a better experience for staff using their own devices. Security is essential. The WiFi network must be encrypted and the connection secure. Padlocks don’t guarantee security so always check that your service provider is the best you can find.
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With more and more companies adopting a BYOD IT policy approach, the need to assess how they implement and secure their data against potential breaches is ever more important. BYOD is here to stay.