Employee Data Loss Fears Thwart IT Control in BYOD
Even at companies with BYOD (bring-your-own-device) policies, users may still be reluctant to officially register their tablets and smartphones with IT, instead preferring to covertly access the network. That's according to a new study that shows employees are concerned about losing their personal data if they officially register their devices with the IT organization at their company. To ensure compliance with policies, managed services providers (MSPs) may need to win over small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) employees with promises to protect personal data.
Aruba Networks, Inc. (ARUN) conducted the survey of more than 3,000 employees around the world. American respondents, specifically, fear the loss of personal data more than other regions of the world, the study revealed. Around 66 percent of American respondents claimed that they fear the loss of data, compared to the 45 percent of Europeans and 40 of Middle Easterners who felt the same.
More than 50 percent of Americans said their IT department takes no steps to ensure the security of corporate files and applications on their personal devices, a concern that has forced many employees to keep personal devices away from IT departments. Seventeen percent of Americans have not told their employers that they use a personal device for work. If you think that's frightening, keep reading.
Eleven percent of American respondents said they would not report a compromised device, while 36 percent said they would not report leaked data immediately.
According to the survey, these numbers come from a distrust of IT departments and employee fear about what IT may do with personal data. Forty-five percent of respondents in the United States worry about their IT department's access to personal data.
Should MSPs include policies and guarantees to customers' employees on personal data?
The irony of this data is
The irony of this data is scary.
Both IT and employees are equally trying to protect data and working against each other and who is exposed – business leaders and the company.
IT and business leaders need to open lines of communication with employees and partner to deliver well governed and secure BYO solutions. If not BYO turns into DIY and all bets are OFF on benefits for both Biz and employee.
More from the Intel IT Center on this topic at www://intel.com/consumerization
One way to help overcome
One way to help overcome these concerns is to separate data and applications from the end user devices. This can also be achieved with a combination of virtualization and HTML5 technologies. For example, data and applications can be securely hosted on VDI virtual desktops or on Microsoft RDS (Terminal Server) while mobile employees access those applications and desktops using HTML5-compatible browsers.
That’s the idea behind solutions like Ericom AccessNow, an HTML5 RDP client that enables access to Windows applications and desktops from a browser. Basing access on the browser allows employees to get to their applications and data from Android tablets and phones, iPads, iPhones and other devices.
Visit http://www.ericom.com/BYOD_Workplace.asp?URL_ID=708 for more info.
Please note that I work for Ericom
Chris: Thanks for your
Chris: Thanks for your insights. We’ll be watching to see how Intel processors and business units like McAfee evolve to address mobile security, BYOD, etc.
Adam: Keep us posted as Ericon AccessNow continues to evolve.
-jp