Employee buy in required for BYOD security

Across the board, network security is a growing concern for many businesses and industry insiders. The growth of bring your own device (BYOD) policies means that additional devices – namely smartphones, tablets and laptops – will be vying for company bandwidth and opens the door for more security concerns. Without employee knowledge and support, keeping a network secure can be difficult.

A recent survey from CareerBuilder, which focuses mainly on workers with laptops, polled 3,800 employees nationwide. Of the 26 percent of respondents that said they have an office laptop, 61 percent reported to having sensitive business information saved on them. Additionally, 18 percent have access to work information through a smartphone.

One of the biggest concerns with BYOD practices is the potential for a lost or stolen device. The report found many employees don’t take that into consideration. According to the survey, 57 percent of workers do not have a laptop security device, while 52 percent do not lock their computer when they leave their desk. Additionally, 25 percent admitted to leaving their machines unsecure overnight. On top of that, 5 percent have either lost or had a smartphone stolen.

“Laptops and mobile devices are quickly becoming the preferred technologies for many businesses,” said Eric Presley, CTO at CareerBuilder, in a press release. “It’s important for employers and workers alike to take precautions to reduce vulnerabilities and keep company information secure.”

The benefits of implementing a BYOD strategy can be undone by lax security practices. Businesses in Ohio that are interested in shoring up their cabling and network solutions would be wise to partner with an IT consulting firm to ensure these systems are taken into account before deploying.

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