Everywhere you look, workplace modernization is happening all around you – whether you’re planning for it are not. Employees are naturally going to want sleek, modern devices that will help them complete their everyday work tasks, and if you’re not willing to provide those devices, it doesn’t matter – people will just bring them themselves. This “bring your own device” phenomenon is a blessing, as it tends to bring major gains in terms of employee engagement and productivity – but it’s also a curse.
While the BYOD era has brought digital transformation, it’s also brought some serious vulnerabilities. According to ITWeb, companies that allow BYOD present a “veritable minefield of opportunity for cybercriminals,” as people’s personal devices tend to be far less secure than corporate networks. The publication pointed to Gartner data showing that this is a rapidly growing problem – in late 2017, mobile malware accounted for only 7% of all cyberthreats that businesses faced, but by the end of 2019, that same figure had risen to about 33%.
“We are in the age of business on the move – the anywhere, anytime workplace,” explained MJ Strydom, managing director of cybersecurity firm DRS. “Employees are increasingly mobile and available through the use of smartphones, tablets and laptops, exposing businesses to the risk of data loss, whether by employees losing devices or by compromising cybersecurity.”
It turns out, there are many potential vulnerabilities that can arise with BYOD, and possible malware attacks are just one of them. Gartner also identified loss of IT control and visibility, improper leakage or disclosure of enterprise data, and physical loss or theft of employee devices as three other problems that BYOD can exacerbate, especially with a large staff.
So what can be done about all this? Dealing with mobile security issues might sound daunting, but at Zones, we have a simple solution. Our Mobile Device Management (MDM) offering is tailor-made for companies looking for a way to corral all that mobile use. Our suite of services makes it easy to secure and control desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other workplace devices, all from one connected and easy-to-use console. We partner with Microsoft, VMWare and Jamf to deliver tailored services for each of their MDM platforms. This should save your company time, money, and effort, and free your people up to focus on other initiatives.
That’s what digital transformation is all about – taking the day-to-day challenges of IT management and simplifying them, so that your business can move forward with confidence. We’ve already made that happen for countless clients, and you could be next.
Interested in the Workplace Modernization capabilities we have at Zones? You’re in the right place. Click below to get the lowdown.