BYOD: Intensive Setup Ensures a Successful Implementation

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shutterstock_292636697The debate today isn’t whether or not to implement a bring your own device (BYOD) program — it’s how to best go about making the transition to BYOD as smooth as possible. Many businesses have learned that a BYOD program improves productivity and reduces costs. A 2014 survey by research firm Tech Pro found that 74% of businesses surveyed either had an existing BYOD program or were planning to create one.

Despite the popularity of BYOD programs, moving from work devices to employee-owned devices is not an instant switch. Businesses need to be mindful of the fact that planning and maintaining will be required until the transition is complete. There are four major steps that a business can follow to make this transition as smooth as possible.

1) Have a Clear Goal

A business with a clear vision for its BYOD program will be able to implement it smoothly and efficiently. Some benefits of determining a goal in advance include:

  • easier management,
  • higher productivity, and
  • happier employees.

With a clear end goal, everyone involved in the BYOD implementation process will know what they are trying to achieve and why.

2) Communicate with IT

Good communication with the IT department is key to successfully implementing a BYOD program. Businesses should answer two key questions before beginning the BYOD program:

  • What devices are supported?
  • Of those devices, what will the business allow to be used?

An employee could potentially use their cell phone, tablet, and/or laptop or other personal computer in a BYOD program. Businesses should know which devices their IT department can best handle. For more uniformity of devices used, businesses could also look into partnering with a vendor that will allow employees to buy devices at a discount. This will make for easier management and streamline any repair or troubleshooting processes.

3) Carefully Create the BYOD Policy

There are many factors to consider when creating a BYOD policy, including:

  • Participants in the program
  • Eligible devices
  • Levels of employee access to business data
  • Security considerations
  • Whether or not to install a monitoring program
  • What to do if a device is lost or damaged
  • How much control the business will have over installed and banned apps
  • The exit process for an employee who is leaving the business

4) Train Employees

Once setup is complete, it’s important to ensure that all employees who are a part of the program have been properly trained. Communication is again key here; a meeting should be scheduled in person and employees should be aware of the policy regarding BYOD. Initial training will likely take time and resources, but once training is complete and the program is in place, future updates should be quick and efficient.

A BYOD program may seem like a lot of work, but it will soon lead to increased productivity and decreased costs. By being prepared beforehand, a business can ensure that the transition is as smooth and streamlined as possible.

Big Data Security Measures: Learning from the Antivirus Industry to Keep Data Safe

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shutterstock_195687113In recent years, there have been security breaches at a number of large companies that resulted in the loss of personal data for thousands of people. All entities involved in big data – including both vendors and consumers – should be looking to create and use standard security measures to keep their data safe.

Big Data Protection Challenges

There are quite a few major challenges involved in the security of big data, not the least of which is that most current security measures are meant for the protection of small-scale, static data. Because big data comes in the millions of terabytes – as opposed to a much lower number of files saved to an individual hard drive – big data security must be quick, adaptable, and tailored towards multiple entry points. Security for big data has several areas of weakness.

Audits. If something does go wrong, businesses need to be able to determine how and why in order to improve their security. These audits should be detailed and easily scalable.

Data Mining. Customers or clients may not know what information is being gathered. With weak security, private information can be stolen, resulting in loss of both money and trust.

Data Storage. Because big data is too large to be moved manually by the IT department, a company has less control over how and where it moves. Auto-tiering can make this process much easier, but businesses should keep in mind that it requires extra security measures.

Encrypted Access. Security measures need to strike a balance between the encryption needed to keep big data safe and the need of users to access this data efficiently.

Input Validation. Collections of big data usually have millions of inputs from various access points. Any business collecting big data must ensure that all sources of input are validated and trusted.

Real-Time Monitoring. Although real-time monitoring is improving – and providing a way to see exactly what’s happening at any given moment – businesses should be aware that it can generate false positives.

Improving Security

Despite the differences between big data and the data found on a general user’s computer, cloud experts believe that the antivirus industry may hold the key to better big data security. This is not only because antivirus vendors already have experience in battling viruses and other malware, but also because they share information on threats and how to defeat them.

Businesses often depend on secrets in order to keep ahead of their competitors, but in the antivirus industry, threat data is open and allows multiple industry leaders to work on a solution. This benefits everyone who uses a computer, no matter what antivirus they choose to use. Cloud experts believe that being open and seeking to share is what will enable big data security measures to be improved quickly and efficiently.