BYOD Policies Need Enforcement, Survey Says

A survey commissioned by Globo, a business software and service provider, revealed that 14 percent of respondents do not know if their company has a BYOD policy in place. This shows that IT departments of certain companies still haven't made their employees aware of existing BYOD policies, despite the risks inherent in bring-your-own-device initiatives allowing employees to bring and use their personal mobile devices in the workplace.

The Globo survey also discovered that 91 percent of the respondents do not know yet if their company has plans to implement a BYOD policy.

Moreover, 68 percent of those who were surveyed claimed that they use their personal mobile devices for work, but only 29 percent admitted that their company has a BYOD policy in place. And 42 percent still do not know if their company's existing BYOD policy allows the IT department to have full access to their personal mobile devices.

Another finding from the report indicated that 62 percent of respondents who bring their personal mobile devices in the workplace use them primarily to check emails.

Moreover, if their company's IT departments spelled out in the BYOD policies that they have full access to employee's personal information like emails and contacts, 93 percent of people surveyed would not take part in a BYOD initiative. Sixty-nine percent claimed that they would not consider breaking their company's BYOD policy even if they were sure to get away with it.

"With the significant number of employees already using their personal devices for work, companies should be focused on creating a BYOD program and policies that fit the specific needs of the company. The next important step is to communicate the policy to employees and make sure that they understand their rights and the rights of the company," said Aggelos Grypaios, vice president of business development and marketing at Globo. "Defining and managing a BYOD strategy that protects the security of the employee and the employer will keep companies competitive in the market by creating a mobile workforce."

In related news, Gartner conducted a study that identified the security implications of BYOD to a business organization. When implementing a BYOD program, the security issues that organizations must consider include data leakage, privacy concerns, and employee access to unsecure sites that may bring in malware into the company network. Analysts emphasized the importance of strategically implementing and enforcing BYOD policies so that the company's data security is maintained without negatively affecting employee productivity. (KOM) Link. Link.