Though employees express little concern about
data safety, one in four people who use their own laptop, phone, or tablet for business have experienced a security issue with their personal device, according to a recent Gartner survey*. Much like attacks on enterprise networks, cyberattacks on personal devices are on the rise, causing data loss, security breaches and violation of compliance regulations.
Nearly half of the employees surveyed used their devices for work for more than an hour a day. Most did not have a written agreement governing their use.
BYOD is not just a security problem, Caldwell says. Too much focus on devices sucks time and money from a company.
One of the company’s apps allows employers to monitor employees. To sell it to potential customers, “we need a lot of screen real estate,” he says. So the company partnered with carriers offering large phones that allow for an effective sales presentation, and didn’t waste money developing it for other devices.
For applications under development, company IT workers usually have a choice of using one or two platforms, but no more. “We need to use devices we’re aware of and can manage and support,” Caldwell says.
In fact, he is thinking of outsourcing CYOD entirely, having an outside company deliver and manage devices so that IT can concentrate on core business functions instead of device troubleshooting.
