When Spiceworks asked survey participants who restricted BYOD access why they did so, the top answer by a substantial margin was concern about security, followed by concern about keeping personal and corporate data separate. This is consistent with other reports about BYOD concerns over the last several years.
When asked about the greatest challenge associated with securing access for BYOD, 70% of survey respondents – including both those supporting and not supporting BYOD – cited limited end-user knowledge about risk and security practices.
Securing BYOD: Effective steps IT pros can take
What can be done to make BYOD secure enough that organizations will feel free to allow employees BYOD access to file sharing, network resources, and other critical applications and capabilities? Expert recommendations include clearly establishing policies for how devices can be used and educating employees to be sure they know about, understand and follow those policies. Mobile device management (MDM) is also recommended, as it provides IT with the tools to monitor employee devices and ensure they're being used according to policy.
But is this enough? These steps are important, but none of them – not even MDM – can provide a full measure of mobile security. While more comprehensive mobile security technology solutions are emerging to address the gap, what does IT need to see in these solutions? When asked what factors they considered most important in a BYOD security solution, survey respondents most frequently mentioned data protection and anti-virus/malware software.
Comprehensive mobility management solution: KNOX from Samsung
Samsung KNOXTM is a complete enterprise mobile solution that addresses all the top security concerns IT pros report in the Spiceworks survey. Designed to enhance security of the opensource Android platform, it provides hardware-level, OS-level and application-level security to safeguard corporate data accessed on personal devices. With KNOX, employees can use a single device for both personal and business use without compromising business data security. KNOX features include:
• Comprehensive protection against malware attacks and hacking • Multi-layered protection with biometric authentication for authorized device access • A complete set of cloud-based MDM, IAM and security services that work across device platforms and enable single sign-on or mobile apps • Remote device/application control through an IT admin or U.S.er portal • Enhanced application sandbox to secure enterprise apps and prevent data leakage • Best-in-class device management with more than 390 IT policies • Compatible with existing enterprise infrastructure
With a multi-layered security model and industry-leading device management capabilities, KNOX meets the needs of even the most demanding business environments.
As a global leader in enterprise mobility and information technology, Samsung Business provides a diverse portfolio of enterprise technologies including smartphones, wearables, tablets, digital displays, hospitality TVs, printers and medical diagnostic equipment. We are committed to putting the business customer at the core of everything we do by delivering comprehensive products, solutions and services across diverse industries including retail, healthcare, hospitality, education and government. For more information, please visit samsung.com/business or follow Samsung Business via Twitter @SamsungBizUSA.
