Alisanne Steele | TheSoftwareConsultant | Monday, March 19, 2018
Does your firm BYOD?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices into the workplace, and to allow them to connect those devices to company assets, information, and/or applications.
Mobile devices and your firm’s data: Whether you provide mobile devices to your staff, allow for a BYOD environment, or have a mixture of both, mobile devices that contain firm data are becoming the norm, rather than the exception.
When staff have custody and control of devices that contain firm and, most likely, client data, there are concerns that should be addressed:
- Safeguards to protect sensitive data
- Data encryption and security
- Who controls the device (firm vs. staff)
- What happens if devices are lost or stolen
- What happens in the event of termination
What safeguards should be put in place to protect your firm’s data?
- Data encryption
- Strong Passwords
- Remote Wipe / Remote Kill Protection
- Remote Device location
Protecting Yourself and Your Firm with Workable Policies, Procedures and Technology Solutions. One of the most important measures you can take in a BYOD environment is to develop a written Policy. At minimum, the policy should:
- Clearly state what measures the firm will take to protect it’s information prior to allowing any device access to firm assets and data.
- Define what firm information and what access to assets is allowed on employee owned devices.
- State what access and frequency the firm expects to have to employee owned devices.
- Define what measures will be taken (Remote location, remote wipe, etc.) in the event of a lost or stolen device.
- Define what measure will be taken when an employee leaves the firm.
- Be reviewed frequently, and changes to the policy should be written and agreed to by both the firm and the employees.
Getting Started with workable Safeguards, Solutions and Policies. Be sure to download our template and use it to craft the right policies for you and your firm.
As always, we are here to get you on the right path!
~Sanne
