14 Best Practices To Consider In The BYOD Policy

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a trend more and more widespread in which companies allow workers to carry their personal portable devices to carry out work tasks and connect to the network and corporate resources.

Thus, in many companies employees can work with their laptop, centralize all business information on their personal smartphone to avoid having to carry two phones or access the corporate network from home.

To improve the administration and security of BYOD, companies generally rely on written procedures that stipulate the requirements that employees must meet.

14 Best Practices To Consider In The BYOD Policy

1) Strong Passwords

In terms of mobile device security, having a secure password is a must. Employees must be required to have one, and this requirement must be included in the company’s BYOD policy. Also, after several unsuccessful attempts, the device must be automatically blocked until the IT department can reopen it.

2) Maintenance Stipulations

A good example of BYOD policy should also stipulate user responsibilities when the mobile device requires maintenance. Normally, the employee is solely responsible for the maintenance cost, although the organization can reimburse it. However, organizations can stipulate which providers can be used for device maintenance.

3) No Cameras Or Videos

Although most mobile devices have advanced cameras, companies do not want employees to use them while they are in the workplace. It is common to find BYOD policies with this restriction.

4) There Is No Privacy

Issues related to privacy are always controversial in organizations, and personal devices are no exception. Some companies, in order to protect themselves, stipulate in the policy that employees who use personal devices should have no expectation of privacy. The exceptions to this, of course, are circumstances that are governed by law.

5) Ban On Unsafe Transfers Of Company Data

Occasionally, employees can store business data on a personal device. However, a BYOD plan must prohibit workers from transferring company-related data to an unsafe location.

6) Do Not Use The Device While Driving

A company could face serious legal consequences if an employee is performing tasks related to work on a mobile device while driving. To protect against this, companies are stipulating that personal devices should not be used for work activities while driving.

7) Data Encryption Command

Encryption is one of the best ways to prevent hackers from accessing sensitive data on a mobile device. This solution has become a staple for protecting personal devices, and is common in any BYOD policy.

8) Provisioning

Before an employee can access company data and the network on a personal device, some organizations apply a rule in which the IT department must first supply those devices. The purpose of this procedure is to guarantee the configuration of the applications and improve security.

9) When An Employee Leaves

Whether through the termination of a contract or a waiver, a company must have implemented at least one optional inspection policy with respect to personal devices. In some companies, the IT department may request to inspect those devices before the employee leaves.

10) Installed Software

In any BYOD policy it is common that exists a user requirement to install security software on the personal device. This includes antivirus software, mobile device management software (MDM) and unified endpoint management software (UEM).

11) The Reasons For Deleting Data

One of the leading solutions for protecting data from mobile devices is to remotely lock and erase the device when a threat is detected. The reasons behind a company’s decision to erase data can be described in the written procedures of the BYOD policy so that employees are aware of it.

12) Inform About Lost Or Stolen Devices

Within an airtight BYOD policy, employees must be required to inform the IT department in case of loss or theft of their personal device. Workers should be asked to report within 24 hours, so that IT can remotely delete corporate data from the device.

13) View Employees’ Mobile Records

Companies sometimes prohibit employees from using their own devices for personal calls and messages during work hours. Occasionally, some policies can take things a step further by giving managers the right to check employees’ mobile records to see if personal calls were made at work.

14) Failure To Comply With The Policy

When a user breaks the BYOD policy of a company, there must be a penalty. Some organizations reserve the right to suspend or sever all connectivity privileges. In some cases, breaking it could also be grounds for contract termination.

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