BYOD can be a great way to increase productivity and mobility in a business, as it allows employees to use devices they're already comfortable with to share files, communicate, and remain active in projects from any location. However, it does come with its fair share of risks that need to be properly addressed moving forward. There are a 5 key ways to prevent BYOD risks with file sharing services in particular you need to know about.
5 BYOD Risk Prevention Tips You Should Know
1. Create a Strict Policy and Stick With It
Your first line of defense in terms of mitigating BYOD risks involves creating a firm device use policy with very real consequences for misuse. Make it clear that employees need to employ security features on their phone like auto-lock functionality, cannot let other people borrow phones or tablets that contain business documents, and they MUST allow their devices to be wiped should they take a job at another business.
2. The Consumer-Grade Cloud Has to Go
Another key step to take to help mitigate BYOD risks is to make it clear to your employees that consumer-grade cloud solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive are no longer allowed. According to Business News Daily, security incidents resulting from these types of services cost businesses around $2 billion each year. Provide your employees with a file sharing solution like SFTP that is just as easy to use as Dropbox, but offers much more by way of security.
3. It's Not Just Smartphones You Have to Worry About
One of the most important things to understand about the BYOD revolution is that the term doesn't only describe smartphones and tablets - devices like flash drives also fall under this purview. If even a single infected file is on an employee's flash drive, it could compromise your entire business network. As a result, make sure your employees are trained in flash drive best practices and always keep your network antivirus and analytical tools up to date.
4. Increase Visibility
Part of remaining protected against BYOD risks with file sharing services involves knowing exactly what you're fighting in the first place. This means that EVERY device has to be accounted for, no matter how inconsequential. Make it clear that your employees need to get every personal device they bring to work with them approved before it can be added to your network.
5. Encrypt, Encrypt, Encrypt
Finally, make sure that you're using a secure file sharing solution that offers encryption both at-rest and in-transit for BYOD situations. This will help make sure that even if an employee does lose their personal device, the sensitive information contained on it is protected and can be remotely wiped to help reduce the chances of a loss or security incident.
If you follow these 5 prevention tactics, you can keep your BYOD business environment running smoothly while protecting your company, your employees, and your customers. Using a file sharing service like FTP Today can help you mitigate these risks easier by offering the security features you need to stay secure and compliant.
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