It
wasn't too long ago that business professionals carried pagers,
multiple cell phones, and lugged around laptop computers. Fast-forward
ten years, and the dream of consolidating all corporate information and
access in such a way that it could be managed within one singular device
has been achieved - sort of.
Although an
influx of younger workers have emerged, many of whom are willing to
become "anytime, anywhere" employees via BYOD Bring your Own Device
ideology, many employers are still uneasy about allowing trade secrets
and other confidential business information to touch employee-owned
devices. Enter: the cloud. Could advancements in cloud computing be the
solution to BYOD security problems?
According
to Jim Reavis (executive director of the Cloud Security Alliance), the
biggest challenge associated with BYOD Bring Your Own Device is that
administrators must find ways to provide corporate data to end users
while still keeping it separate and managed. In other words, corporate
enterprises don't want their employees to mix business with pleasures.
One major concern is the use of app stores on their mobile devices. The
fear is that inadequate app store security could cause breaches in
confidential company data.
The
cloud is able to assist IT departments with the conundrum of BYOD
security. Security as as Service products from businesses like Barracuda
Networks and Sophos paired with mobile device management services can
prevent potential breaches in security. Additionally, cloud computing is
able to change the way in which corporate IT professionals must deal
with malware. Instead of running software on laptops to continuously
scan for malware, a cloud-based anti-malware service is able to scan
data before it even has the chance to reach the device.
The
ability for IT professionals to cut out the time and costs associated
with running various software scanning solutions on mobile devices is
invaluable in the business world.
Yet
although automated cloud security procedures and services could
drastically change the opinions of numerous enterprises regarding the
safety of BYOD, it's still smart to keep end users educated and
establishing BYOD policies. All
employees should be trained to understand that that security features,
key locks, passwords, etc. are non-negotiable security measures and that
attempting to remove or disable them from their devices will not be
permitted. It is the combination of cloud-based security paired with
cooperation from your staff that will ensure that confidential business
information is protected.
