Despite employer efforts to stem the tide, many employees access company networks from their personal mobile devices.
BYOD device management creates a complex set of challenges for businesses. Some of the questions about implementation may include:
• How do you draw the line between personal and professional device usage during working hours?
• How do we make sure employees aren't charging personal mobile device usage expenses to the company?
• How do we support every possible mobile-operating system when rolling out new applications?
• How does BYOD change the way our IT staff purchases technology solutions?
• How do we make sure employees know which apps are authorized?
In addition to these questions, employers have big concerns about data and network security. One of the easiest policies a company can emphasize is to make sure that employees regularly download software updates and patches. Unfortunately, as some of the following statistics demonstrate, sometimes the simplest things are the hardest things to do.
Fact: Many Employees Fail to Update Their Software
According to an infographic from Skype, 42 percent of Americans don't always update their software when prompted. About one-quarter of Americans say that they have to see a prompt twice before updating.Another one-quarter said that they didn't understand the benefits of updating software. Yet another one-quarter of Americans said they didn't know how to check to see whether their software required an update. Other common reasons for not updating included:
• "I worry about the security of my computer."
• "The updates take too long to do."
• "Updates slow down my computer."
• "Updates have too many bugs and they cause the software to crash."
IT staff, then, are left to track which versions of which applications are on which employee devices. After work one day, an employee who has an iOS device visits the App Store to update iWork or another company-endorsed app.
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However, the employee in the adjacent cubicle is still running an older version. For IT, this situation is nothing short of chaos. In employees' minds, IT complaints sound way too draconian.
How IT Can Foster Compliance
One way to make sure employees are consistently running the latest versions of company software is to use a centralized device management solution. These programs receive automatic downloadable updates, and the updates sync to individual devices whenever the devices are plugged into the company network.Employees may feel frustrated they have to wait for an update to process before they can access company information. However, this is probably the best way to keep everyone using the same versions of software.
Another key to compliance is employee education. Remember the earlier statistic: 25 percent of employees don't understand how updates and patches keep their devices secure. IT staffers should find a way to train employees regarding the latest threats, and how software updates will protect their personal devices.
When employees feel security concerns threaten their devices in addition to the company network, they're more likely to take ownership of updating their software. Additionally, employees need to understand which apps are acceptable and which are forbidden. CIOs can launch enterprise app stores, push out mandatory apps and develop custom apps for company devices.
At the same time, they need to broadcast to employees a list of which apps they can download and which they can't. At no time should a jailbroken device or associated apps be allowed on the company network. Companies can also try geo-fencing, meaning employee mobile device activities are restricted in a certain virtual perimeter. For example, employees couldn't download Fruit Ninja while on company grounds.
The Conclusion?
BYOD allows a lot of freedom, but it's also inherently messy. Then again, so are democracy and capitalism. As you roll out your BYOD policies, start with patching and updates because they're easy to enforce and conceptualize. Then, get into the complicated stuff, such as employee expectations of privacy.
Noah GamerAbout the Author:
Noah Gamer directs the global Internet marketing optimization and product Web reputation strategy as the Senior Manager of Search Marketing at Trend Micro. He specializes in Web product strategy development, competitive analysis and site optimization while building online identity and brand for product marketing, public relations, investor relations, technical support and corporate marketing initiatives.