A Look at the Security Risks BYOD Can Pose and how Enterprise Mobile Solutions are Addressing Them

Adopting a BYOD business model is a great new cost effective approach for businesses. However, it comes with an increase in security risks to company networks and sensitive company information. Hackers are targeting mobile devices via infected applications, software, web browsing, links, and phishing e-mails with malware attachments.

Once hackers gain access to vulnerable information on mobile devices , this information is at risk of being stolen.  This could lead to serious problems for both the company and its clients. To combat these efforts, enterprise mobile solutions are employed to mitigate the ever-growing risks involved with BYOD programs in the workplace.

These solutions include up-to-date mobility services for all company and personal devices in the workplace and at home.

BYOD Risks in the Workplace

There are many risks involved with allowing personal devices to connect to company networks. Like personal computers and laptops, mobile devices can become infected with malware that can compromise data.  This can include personal and corporate information when connected to the company network.

The moment a hacker can penetrate the company’s network and gain access to sensitive information, a whole array of problems can arise. The business risks involved with BYOD and enterprise mobility programs can:

• Ruin a company’s reputation and stock prices;
• Breach company and client data via mobile apps (90% of mobile banking apps have security problems that pose threats to user data)
• Can deregulate mobile apps that users download on their personal devices to access sensitive personal and company information.

To counter the evolving cyber criminal attacks on mobile devices and company networks,  companies are employing third-party mobility service expertise.  This is used to test security, create secure mobile apps, secure remote access, and protect sensitive data.

Mobility Services and Mobile Enterprise Solutions

Third-party mobility services include mobile enterprise solutions to secure mobile devices and company networks. These solutions involve adapting to the ever-changing tech landscape as new devices enter the workplace and new apps come onto the market. Popular solutions strategies and solutions for securing personal devices and company networks include:

• Developing policies that define authentication asks for users, such as passwords, PINs, and fingerprint scans;
• Determining levels of access for users, such as permission to access and edit specified files;
• Secure containers to house and secure company apps and files, keeping them separate and secure from personal apps and files on devices;
• Contextual authentication through enterprise mobility management—allowing or denying mobile access to secure containers based on factors such as the time and device location (for example, if a user wants to access secure company information from home on their mobile device, they are only allowed to if they have permission and if it is a regular activity for this user); and
• Security at each level, including security on the device, with the device’s mobile apps, and for the company network the device connects to (since most threats to company networks and sensitive information are increasingly from mobile devices and their unregulated apps, security solutions at each level must be addressed).

Despite the security risks  BYOD programs are very successful and are more popular because they are proven to increase productivity. Employees are more likely to work from their personal devices at all times.  Providing them with secure access to company information is essential for them to get their work done.

Enterprise mobile solutions can keep productivity levels up while keeping networks, devices, and vulnerable information secure from hackers.