While studies have shown that employees are more productive when they can use their own devices at work, business owners continue to be concerned about security. And for good reasons — if an employee loses his or her phone or leaves the company, that could put the business’s data and applications at risk.
To keep this from happening, many companies have adopted a Bring Your Own Device policy (or BYOD policy) so they can put security measures in place to protect themselves.
Is your company ready for a policy like this? Ask yourself these questions first:
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Will you support all devices and operating systems? Will you have a different set of rules for certain employees? Make sure you get it all in writing and that you only establish rules that your company can enforce.
CAN YOUR CULTURE TAKE IT?
Remember, your employees still consider their devices to be their own. If your new BYOD policy gives you more access to their devices or allows you to delete data from their phones when they leave the company, will your employees be ok with that? Or will the backlash outweigh the benefits?
HOW WILL YOU COMMUNICATE THE CHANGE?
Chances are, some of your employees already bring their own devices to work, so communication is key. Make sure you put together some communications ahead of time to tell employees about the policy, what changes they can expect, and who they can call if something goes wrong.
DO YOU NEED A CORPORATE APP STORE?
If you want to create your own apps or vet the apps your employees install on their phones, you’ll want to get a corporate app store up and running.
CAN YOUR HELP DESK HANDLE THIS?
Do you have the staff and the budget to provide multi-device support? Can your network handle it? All good things to consider before you put your policy in place.
TAKE YOUR COMPANY FROM A TO BYOD
From getting your BYOD policy together, to upgrading your WiFi service, to implementing all of the extra security you need — UDT can help you and your business get up to speed with the latest technology. Contact us for a free quote.