Editor’s Note: In an attempt to broaden our interaction with our readers we have created this Reader Forum for those with something meaningful to say to the wireless industry. We want to keep this as open as possible, but we maintain some editorial control to keep it free of commercials or attacks. Please send along submissions for this section to our editors at: [email protected].
Smartphones: from supplement to necessity
The first smartphones were introduced to the market in the late 1990s, and since then have not only been adopted at exponential rates but have become as common in households as coffeemakers – if not more so. As technological advancements to smartphones introduced new functionalities beyond calling and texting, users realized they could combine their professional and personal lives at an entirely new level – right in the palm of their hand.
Smartphones have made it possible to e-mail clients and colleagues, schedule meetings and share documents all while on the go. At first, these devices were popular amongst senior-level executives so they could keep track of their e-mail as they traveled from meeting to meeting. Businesses provided the devices so work lives remained isolated from personal lives, easy enough with two separate devices. However, smartphones were soon found in the hands of employees across all levels of a business, but not on the business’ dime.
Thus began the trend toward “bring-your-own-device.” Many organizations developed policies in an attempt to control what employees were accessing on their devices – from corporate e-mails and business documents to social media sites and personal e-mail. Smartphones became hubs for information, containing both personal and professional items that users want to keep private.
The issue of professional and personal privacy
The issue of privacy for these devices isn’t new. A recent Supreme Court decision led to a unanimous ruling that police must get a warrant to search someone’s mobile device. This means businesses that promote a BYOD program cannot retrieve data from an employee’s device without permission. If they did, the employee could file a suit against them for privacy infringement.
Sound crazy? It may be, but there are only two ways to solve the problem:
1. Ensure your BYOD policy has zero holes
There are copious amounts of tips and ideas on how to best configure a BYOD policy. Most include specifying which devices are permitted, establishing a security policy, defining a service policy and controlling which applications are allowed on the device. However, what a business may not be considering before implementing a BYOD policy is that it’s more than just what’s on the device that affects employees’ productivity. For instance, what happens if a device breaks or there are service issues? Because the business does not own the device, it’s now on the employee to deal with the service provider or replace the smartphone or tablet.
The recent announcement of Microsoft’s mobile device management offering through Office 365 is a step in the right direction for businesses attempting to create a strong BYOD policy. The new capabilities allow for businesses to securely deliver information and data through the Microsoft Office Suite to mobile devices. However, the MDM offering does not take into account other forms of information sharing, including programs other than those in the Microsoft Suite such as Exchange or OneDrive.
2. Forget BYOD – provide corporate liable devices for employees
The only true way to ensure data and information are kept safe is to provide the devices for employees. This ensures that access to e-mail, documents and applications are managed by the organization’s IT department. The true beneficiaries of BYOD programs aren’t the employees or the businesses – often the underlying carriers receive the most benefits. Through a companywide corporate liable plan, businesses are able to use economies of scale to their advantage, leveraging the number of devices to negotiate a better rate.
Not only does a corporate liable policy save a business money in the long term, it also allows businesses to enforce MDM on all devices on the plan. If a device is lost or stolen, not only can the business track it down, it can remotely wipe all the data if necessary because it owns the device. There is a reason c-level executives are rarely included in the BYOD policy – the information they have access to is the information that is targeted first by hackers and the like.
Making the decision: To BYOD, or not to BYOD?
As with almost any business decision, there are positives and negatives for every choice. It is imperative that decision-makers review all options and weigh not only factors such as price and ease of execution, but also factors that impact employees directly such as service providers and support for devices. As the number of smartphones and mobile devices available on the market grows, we can only expect them to increase in the workplace as well. To determine the right mobile strategy, ask yourself if your business is looking to save money, ensure security and/or provide flexibility to end users. Based on the end goal, it’s up to you to decide what plan – either BYOD or corporate liable – works best.
