BYOD Stalled? Three Tips to Get It Going

By Susan Richardson, Manager/Content Strategy, Code42

Despite some surveys that say Bring Your own Device (BYOD) is growing, the CyberEdge Group’s recently released 2016 Cyberthreat Defense Report found that enterprise BYOD programs have stalled. Only one-third of respondents this year had implemented a BYOD policy—the same as two years ago. And 20 percent still have no plans to add one.

The delay in leveraging BYOD programs may be because organizations find them harder to establish, manage and secure than first thought. But the lack of an official policy doesn’t mean employees aren’t plugging their unapproved devices into the network. A Gartner survey found that 45 percent of workers use a personal device for work without their employer’s knowledge.

So here are answers to three key BYOD sticking points, to help organizations get unstuck and leverage the increased productivity gains BYOD can bring:

Q: How do we separate corporate and personal data on a device?

A: Containerization.

Most mobile device management (MDM) programs today allow you to separate the corporate workspace from the personal workspace on mobile devices. Containerization, also know as sandboxing, helps reduce the number of policies required to effectively manage mobile risks. It can also assuage employee fears that if they’re terminated or report a device missing, you’ll wipe away the entire contents of their device—including personal data like photographs and emails.

Q: How do we keep tabs on all that roaming mobile data?

A: With a comprehensive cloud endpoint backup system.

Modern cloud endpoint backup solutions serve as the new data guardian, continuously and automatically moving data from a device to the cloud and back again to a new machine whenever it’s needed. It protects enterprise data by continuously backing up every change and deletion. The best endpoint backup systems also give IT a comprehensive, single point of aggregation and control. You can see what’s on your network, how each device is configured, how it interacts with your environment, as well as where and when data was created, if it’s been altered, and who changed it. This happens whenever the machine is connected to the Internet, without prompting the user to engage with it, all while running seamlessly and silently in the background.

Q: Who pays and how?

A: You, the enterprise, by automating reimbursement.

With California leading the way, BYOD reimbursement won’t just be the ethical thing to do, it will be legally required under fair labor laws. But manually managing reimbursement via expense reports is archaic and expensive. It can cost $15 to $20 per expense report in internal labor, because so many different departments have to touch the report, from accounts payable to finance to IT. Instead, do like Intel did and automate reimbursement by setting up corporate-funded plans with mobile providers. That way, your company takes care of the bill and can negotiate corporate discounts with providers.

To get started developing a BYOD strategy, download this BYOD checklist.