The number of millennials in the workforce has been increasing. They have been bringing in a lot of changes in the way companies run. They have also been demanding flexible working hours. Some also take their personal devices to the office for their work instead of opting for those offered and owned by the company.
The demand for Bring Your Own Device or BYOD has had a significant impact on the way a company’s IT function responds to these personal mobile devices. BYOD offers workforce mobility. However, it is one of the key issues for top management as it also opens up high risk of data loss.
Here are two key security risks associated with BYOD in an organization’s work culture that you should be aware of.
Risk of data leakage increases
Since employees become more dependent on their personal mobile devices, threats related to data leakage increase. It in turn puts a bigger responsibility on the company’s IT department to ensure that all mobile devices are secured properly. Tablets and mobiles are weak links as far as data security threats are concerned. So it is the responsibility of the organizations to ensure that proper procedures and policies are in place to keep their systems safe from the risks associated with BYOD work culture.
Increased vulnerabilities
Many times, Chief Information Officers do not enjoy the same level of control on the mobile devices being used by their employees within the organization. So there are greater chances of external attacks. Mobile apps are constantly downloaded by employees and they can often connect to external Wi-Fi networks if security protocols are not in place. The problem may become severe as employees may not have installed anti-virus software or an updated firewall in their devices. Such negligence exposes company data to greater vulnerability if the device is connected to a company network.
It is understood that there are various benefits of BYOD in an organizational setup. However, there can be several risks as well, which should be identified properly and controlled. When controlled properly, it will help keep businesses safe against security breaches and malicious attacks.
For more information on securing your business network, give KeeFORCE a call today at (270) 366-0553.
