The widespread practice of employees bringing their own electronic devices to work can be risky for businesses. However, despite the growth of this trend, one nationwide study found that 60% of companies surveyed had no policy for dealing with remote access, while 80% provided no training about the potential risks involved.
One key issue with the use of these devices is the blurring of lines between employees’ personal and work life, which involves such questions as: 1) potential violations of employees' privacy rights; 2) whether firms should buy electronic devices for lower-level workers who would not purchase them on their own; 3) who backs up the data and where; 4) whether companies should pay overtime when workers use these devices outside of regular hours: and 5) who owns the data (an issue that can arise when an employee leaves the company).
Another major danger involves a firm’s loss of control over its data.
The good news: you can take steps to reduce these risks. For example, workers should be sure to use effective password protection procedures. Warns one data security specialist, “Don’t just use ‘1234,’ and whatever password you choose, never put a sticky note on the back of your device.” Experts also recommend loading security apps onto devices to protect them and requiring workers to turn on the remote erasure capabilities of their devices.
Last, but not least, make sure to encrypt data on all devices. (Many states exempt companies from notifying clients about a data breach on lost or stolen devices if this information is encrypted).
Our specialists would be glad to offer their expertise on helping you reduce the risks of your workers using mobile devices on the job.