As you know, at Esferize we put special emphasis on everything related to security in the company. An often underestimated area that requires special attention. Because there is no better remedy than to be well protected so that nothing happens. That is why today we want to reflect on security in the company with BYOD, an increasingly common practice that becomes a danger if we do not use the appropriate security protocols and systems.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a company policy whereby employees bring their own devices into the workplace to access company resources such as emails, databases and files on servers as well as personal data and applications. It is also known as Bring your own technology, as this expresses a much broader phenomenon, covering not only equipment but also software.

Data from a study by F-Secure could not be more alarming. 87% of European companies consent to the use of personal devices for work without taking into account their security or the use of their corporate data on those devices.

This trend is on the rise within companies in general, but not so much for European companies in particular. Only 36% of them are committed to protecting their devices, which opens up the possibility of security holes that could put their confidential information at risk.

Security first

BYOD is creating big changes in the business world as around 90% of employees (in developed countries) use their computers in some way to access company information. Some believe that BYOD helps employees to be more productive. Others believe it boosts staff morale by allowing flexibility within the company. But to analyse the benefits, one would have to look at each case on a case-by-case basis. If left unchecked, this practice can be very detrimental to the company, as it can leave loopholes through which information can leak or malicious applications can be introduced into the network. For example, if an employee uses a smartphone to access the company network and then loses it, confidential information stored on the phone could find its way into unsecured hands.

One of the biggest challenges we must face with BYOD is to avoid tracking and access control to private and corporate networks. Devices to be connected by BYOD must have a wireless security protocol configured to prevent unwanted access. Mainly WPA2-Enterprise, which is the only level of wireless connection security that allows all three forms of security:

  • Encryption of information in transit.
  • User authenticity.
  • Network authenticity.

We hope that this information will help you to understand the possible risks that BYOD can pose and to implement preventive measures to mitigate these problems.