Cool tech isn’t just something for wealthy geeks. Today there’s a huge range of fantastic electronics, from great gadgets to amazing devices, all available at affordable prices. With smartphones and tablets in almost every household, your staff are technologically empowered. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is now common in the workplace. The only downside is that small business owners need to be in control of mobile security and to have suitable mobile device management measures in place.
Embrace BYOD
BYOD is something businesses should embrace. When employees are able to use their own devices it can boost productivity. It’s easy to manage schedules and messages, wherever they may be. Staff can be on top of their workload and ready to handle business matters quickly, even if they’re not sitting at their desk. It’s also been shown that there is higher employee satisfaction recorded at companies that allow staff to bring their own devices, as well as lower staff turnover.
Though the Bring Your Own Device model has many bonuses, there can be problems to handle and snags to iron out. Compatibility can be a thorny issue, because there are so many different hardware platforms and software applications that need to work together. You can start to handle this by moving accessing control mechanisms to your business network. This should allow any device to access your business network, without you having to purchase or install additional software to manage compatibility issues.
It may be necessary to restrict access by mobile devices to critical areas of your business network, such as financial databases and other sensitive or confidential information. The obvious problem with mobile devices is that they can be lost or stolen, potentially giving access to your business data. To guard against this, an important feature in mobile device management is the capacity to wipe the device remotely. This will ensure the security of your company data. This can be done using policies related to an exchange server.
In terms of security, it’s important to remember that mobile devices are just as vulnerable to viruses and malware attacks as desktop and laptop computers. Your mobile device management strategy should include measures to deal with this, with appropriate security and network controls. If you can put these in place then you’re ready to reap the benefits of a more mobile, more connected and more productive workforce.
If you haven’t explored the potential of BYOD, or if you need help implementing a mobile device management policy, Quikteks can help. Call us today at (973) 882-4644.