There have been introduced some new and exciting company policies lately; one of which is BYOD; means “Bring Your Own Device” or “Bring Your Own Technology(BYOT). This company policy allows the employees to bring their personal devices; like laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. to their office in a bid to use them for work-related stuff. In this article; you will learn why you should use a VPN at work especially if your company follows the BYOT policy.
Origin Of BYOD
The policy came into being back in 2009 and has progressively won notoriety. In 2009, Intel discerned a burgeoning trend in employees as they brought their personal devices in the workplace. The administration began supporting their employees; as they brought their own laptops to join the company internet network. This case was soon followed by other corporations such as Citrix, IBM, and Unisys, etc. It started being executed the world over with appropriation rates going higher in developing countries.
In most corporations, connecting to customers and management even at odd hours is important. And a number of people now have their official email addresses configured to their smartphones to reach and respond to emails even at home or having family time on weekends and holidays. The line between having a device for work and a separate private device is blearing, and about 75% of employees in high-growth marketplaces such as India, UAE Russia, Malaysia, and Brazil and about 44% in advanced economies are working on their own devices in the office. A recent paper unveiled that 65% of workers in the American tech sector use VPN at work.
Benefits Of BYOD
There are numerous benefits of allowing the employees to carry their personal devices to work, and the apparent interest is cost-cutting. The organization that’s not liable to provide a laptop or office phone to a new worker spends less. One more significant advantage is that when a worker uses his own device; it boosts their potency level due to the familiarity with that equipment. The ease of navigating the device ends in higher efficiency. It enables them to take just one device alternately from one for office and another for home. Also, they can operate it from any place and at any time.
Security Issues Of BYOD
Empowering employees to use their own laptop or mobile to work also invites some vital security concerns and vulnerabilities. In case, an employee sells or loses his device without thoroughly deleting the data, the confidential information of the company could land into the wicked hands.
For personal devices that substitute as office devices, what happens at home could jeopardize the security of company data. If a child or spouse gets hold of a laptop or tablet; it could risk the sensitive data of the company and it will take several clicks to share the data.
Businesses should also take notice of the spiteful deeds by disgruntled workers. A data infringement could happen when a worker leaves and does not have to restore the device to the company. He could be taking company data and essential contacts with him. (also see, 5 BEST BUSINESS VPN SERVICES)
Use VPN At Work To Secure Data
The enterprises that permit employees to ‘BYOT’ must set up effective security standards in place to limit any data infringements. Having a ‘BYOD’ policy is essential, and it should be applied along with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Why Not Making VPN Mandatory In Workplace
As a regular practice, a VPN should be employed to ensure that all communication with the network or server of the company is secure. A VPN encrypts the tunnel through which the data transfers from your device to other devices. Due to this encryption, even if anyone tries to intercept the data, they will still not be able to decipher and read the data. Moreover, it comes as no surprise; the employees can likely connect their devices to public or free Wifi that further makes the company’s confidential data vulnerable.
It’s necessary for companies to have a policy for secure working practices. All the workers of the company should follow this system. For instance, if you have set up a BYOD in your workplace, all your workers must have a VPN app installed on their phones, and make it a prerequisite to use VPN at work. (also check, BEST VPN FOR STRONG ENCRYPTION)
Conclusion:
The internet has become not less than a digital forest, where no matter how many security measures you make, your data remain at risk. However, VPN are the shields that minimize the chances of data breaches and ensure data security. So, do your best and use a VPN at work to make your sensitive data secure.
