System News for Sun Users

How to Craft the Best BYOD Policy

2013-05-06T16:00:00+01:00

"What is a good BYOD policy? Step one is to clarify the rights of both company and employee and state upfront what's business and what's personal. But there's a lot more to it. In this interview with a technology transactions lawyer, CIO.com explores the do's and don'ts of BYOD policies..."

Security Think Tank: Embrace BYOD, But Be Wary of the Risks

2013-05-06T16:00:00+01:00

"The bring your own device (BYOD) movement has shaken traditional security controls to the core.

It is becoming increasingly more technically and legally difficult, if not impossible, to fully control ownership and secure the integrity of user devices that are accessing company data. While consumerisation is driving this forward, security is being left behind..."

As BYOD Explodes, IT Managers Learn To Cope

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Pity the poor IT manager trying to get his arms around the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement.

Even the most cutting-edge tech leaders -- those who are working to make mobile devices secure and productive corporate tools -- are feeling overwhelmed by the frenetic pace of change in the marketplace..."

It's Time to Make Way for BYOx

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"With BYOx, the concept of BYOD has been upped a notch, paving way for its successor as part of a technological evolution...

BYOx, unlike BYOD is not restricted to the device itself. It brings under its vast canopy things associated with the device itself, for example, the data, the services, applications, ports etc. When it comes to their device, working professionals do not want their options limited..."

BYOD - A Bright Idea with a Tarnished Lifecycle?

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Having seen so many vendors talking about it and so many articles written about it, may make it seem like it has been around forever, but the bring your own device (BYOD) trend has only really been 'crossing the chasm' of wider adoption in the last 6-12months.

Quocirca started widely referring to BYOD over two years ago, but it first cropped up when employees in certain companies, mainly in the IT industry, perhaps most notably Intel in 2010, brought their own smartphones into the office, mostly to access email. Since then it has become a byword for anybody wanting to appear that they are up to date with mobile thinking - hence its presence in so much marketing material..."

More Than 6 Out of 10 Companies Approve of Personal Device Use for Work

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"More than six out of 10 companies allow or mandate the use of employee-owned mobile devices for work in order to increase productivity, according to a survey released Tuesday.

While the BYOD (bring your own device) push has received a lot of press coverage lately, the majority of companies still provide at least a subset of devices to employees. One-third of companies strictly mandate which devices can be used for work purposes and don't allow the use of any type of device brought in by the employee, according to the survey conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a nonprofit trade group..."

What Good's An Android That Can't Make Calls? For NYPD, Plenty.

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"New York City police are piloting a somewhat novel use of Android smart phones, using them on the beat the same way they would use the laptop PCs in their cruisers.

NYPD has distributed about 400 Androids to officers as part of a program that started in 2012, the New York Times reports. Police with phones is nothing new, of course, but these phones can�'t make or receive calls. Instead, they�'re used to access databases of information on everything from criminal records, existing warrants, registered gun owners and motor vehicle records..."

BYOD Emerges as 'New Normal' for Mobile Generation

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"CIOs and their IT teams are spending less time managing company-distributed hardware and more time attempting to navigate the ever-rising surge of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) popularity, according to a new international survey from iPass. Very few workers feel that personal mobile products should not be used on the job, findings show. And they're generally getting their wish, as the vast majority of professionals are now allowed to use their smartphones for work..."

Generation BYOD
Personal Freedom
Well Connected
Out of Range
Places Where Wi-Fi Access Expectations Have Not Been Met
Smartphone Usage
No Charge, Please
Holding Back

Read on for details.

Conduct A Successful BYOD Rollout

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"By now, most enterprises have come to terms with the fact their employees want to use their personal-owned devices for work-related tasks. Many enterprises have also realized there are numerous benefits to allowing this but also numerous issues they must address, including concerns related to security and the organization�'s data. Thus, it�'s vital for enterprises to incorporate and put in place a BYOD policy so everyone is on the same page. Here is some advice to help successfully roll out a BYOD program..."

The Security Guide to BYOD

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"It used to be so simple. A new employee joined your organisation and you gave them a laptop, which was entirely under your control.

You could lock down the operating system to prevent the installation of potentially insecure or unapproved applications, and you could ensure the device was suitably up to date with your security solutions.

Weren't they the good old days?..."

BYOD: The Elements of Getting It Right the First Time

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"IT leaders must balance the perceived benefits of BYOD with existing requirements in addition to new challenges and requirements that often extend beyond traditional agency IT deployments. New devices, capabilities, and use cases have caused agencies to reconsider typical deployments of mobile devices that in the past centered primarily on BlackBerry services.

The Office of Management and Budget reminded agencies on Sept. 27, 2012, that the Federal Information Security Management Act and all other federal information security, privacy and records retention requirements apply to mobile devices:..."

BYOD Pros and Cons: Spend Less on Devices, More on Support

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"Before allowing employees to use their own smartphones and tablets, organizations should have a clear understanding of BYOD pros and cons and their potential long-term effects.

The bring your own device (BYOD) movement has taken the enterprise by storm, and it's not likely to subside anytime soon. Organizations large and small have been steadily embracing BYOD, citing cost savings and increased productivity as their primary motives. Yet additional support and management costs, as well as risks to sensitive data, can easily outweigh such benefits..."

Mobile Security: Why It's Your Biggest Threat

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"From trying to determine what your employees should be using to figuring out where in the world you're going to find the right employees to handle security and networking, the tasks presented to CIOs and CSOs on a daily basis are worrisome, to say the least. Over the last several years, the number of security issues affecting desktop computers and mobile devices have skyrocketed. A study from security firm Securelist reveals that the number of threats hitting your network is growing at a rapid rate..."

Wrestling with the BYOD Quandary

2013-04-22T16:00:00+01:00

"It's hardly a secret that BYOD (bring your own device) is the dominant trend among employees, in small and large businesses alike. Gartner predicts that by 2015, there will be nearly 300 million tablets and two billion smartphones used by workers. IT teams have discovered that it is impossible to buck this trend and they are learning to embrace and manage it. The employees' main motivation to use their own devices is both the comfort level with their personal devices and anytime, anywhere access to information from their organization�'s databases and servers. Among the remote access technologies that are contributing significantly to solve these issues is virtual private network (VPN) technology..."

10 Best Practices for Creating a BYOD Policy

2013-03-25T16:00:00+01:00

"Human nature being what it is, people are going to use whatever connected device they have available at the time to handle a business function without giving a thought to security. Why? The terms "easy" and "convenient" come immediately to mind..."

Where Does a Company Begin?
Determine your Company's Needs
Determine Employees' Needs
Decide What Apps to Allow
Decide on Your Company's Policy
Write a BYOD Privacy Policy
Consider an MDM Tool to Enforce the Policy
Roll Out the BYOD Program
Update as Necessary
Developing a BYOD Policy Won't Happen Overnight

Read on for details.

What to Know Before Implementing BYOD

2013-03-25T16:00:00+01:00

"Many enterprises have implemented a BYOD model. The benefits have been praised repeatedly over the past year, but making the switch is not as simple as just connecting devices to the corporate network. There needs to be many issues addressed, such as security, with coordination between IT and management, in addition to operations, human resources, finance, and other departments. A company wide policy is the only way everyone can be on the same page to implement the most secure and efficient BYOD strategy. There are a few things to consider during this process..."

6 Steps to Address BYOD: A Security Management Roadmap

2013-03-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Managed security service provider Solutionary created a BYOD timeline in its 2013 Threat Report. Failing to address BYOD is one of 5 costly security weaknesses, according to the firm's report. The firm's timeline begins with policy creation, includes user education, policy enforcement and deploying some form of mobile antivirus. A policy to force data encryption and remote wipe capabilities should also be implemented, the firm said. The SANs institute, a security research and education organization, provides mobile security policy templates for further guidance.

Conduct A BYOD Assessment
Conduct User Awareness Training
Keep Up With Patch Management
Prohibit Jailbroken Devices
Restrict Corporate Network Access
Remote Wipe Is Necessary

Read on for details.

Embrace BYOD and Manage the Risks

2013-03-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Everyone wants to have the latest technology and the coolest device. Consequently, we are breaking our corporate perimeter, and we will keep doing that, bringing disruption in what once was the preserve of the business: information technology.

This is the era of consumerisation, with devices that are as capable and powerful as �- or even more powerful than �- the computers in the office..."

Has BYOD Peaked?

2013-03-18T16:00:00+01:00

"Expect enterprises to start instituting stricter policies to make BYOD a more secure and cost-effective policy...

It is now the majority of enterprises that have adopted bring-your-own-device, or BYOD, policies, at least for certain classes of workers within the overall population, according to our recent research.

But BYOD is not without its challenges (including data security, device manageability, support, apps and TCO), and I expect significant adjustments to BYOD policies at many organizations..."

Learning BYOD's risks the hard way

2013-03-11T16:00:00+01:00

"If you're in charge of IT for a school district, your users are on vacation for several months every summer, and if they bring their own devices back to work with them in the fall, they probably bring back a lot of malware too. The viruses that faculty members in the Anaheim Union High School District have brought back with them have caused hundreds of hours of extra work for IT, reports Colin Neagle at Network World..."

How BYOD Can Complicate Support

2013-03-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Advocates of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and consumerization have promised it would improve employee productivity because they can choose the device they want and access the data from anywhere they want. IT departments have resisted BYOD and consumerization, however, because their perception is they lose control of testing, the upgrade cycle, the data or even understanding fundamentally how the application works. The ease of use for the user creates an additional burden for the IT staff. Here's a perfect example...":

BYOD is a four-letter word for too many

2013-03-11T16:00:00+01:00

"It's telling that "bring your own device" is shortened into the acronym BYOD. It's just another four-letter word that, depending on the context you use it in, is either your company's downfall or its savior. For some, it's another way to save money on the bottom line, though most people know by now that if your intention is to save money, you're barking up the wrong tree. Then there are those who know that providing their users with the right devices can boost productivity. It's not really a stretch to think this, as tons of news stories and surveys show that people are spending more time working and are producing more..."

15 percent of companies have no BYOD policy

2013-03-11T16:00:00+01:00

"ThreatMetrix announced results of a study that surveyed U.S. business managers and IT executives within retail and financial services organizations on their level of cybersecurity planning and fraud prevention solutions.

While one in four retail and financial service employees participate in BYOD, 15 percent of companies have no policy in place. As the BYOD trend replaces strictly controlled corporate-issued devices with a wide variety of consumer-owned devices, this poses a huge security risk to organizations and its customers..."

Federal CIOs Still Say No to BYOD

2013-02-25T17:00:00+01:00

"As federal CIOs develop new strategies to support an increasingly mobile workforce, they will inevitably have to decide whether or not to adopt a bring-your-own-device policy, just as a similar challenge confronts their counterparts in the private sector.

For some agencies, the answer is a hard 'no.'

'I'm not doing BYOD,' says Coast Guard CIO Rear Adm. Robert E. Day Jr., who also serves as director of the Coast Guard Cyber Command..."

10 considerations for BYOD cost/benefit analysis

2013-02-25T17:00:00+01:00

"Perhaps the most difficult element of the whole Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement is determining whether it will save your organization money. There�'s no guaranteed formula for assessing the costs versus benefits of BYOD for an organization �' BYOD is far from a one-size-fits-all initiative. But all organizations contemplating BYOD should do a thorough, upfront cost/benefit analysis. Here are 10 things to keep in mind when you prepare to conduct a BYOD cost/benefit analysis for your organization..."

Current costs of company-owned devices
Cost of implementing and managing an MDM solution
Costs of BYOD policy development and program management
Updating in-place enterprise security and help desk
Hidden back-end costs
Benefits to employee morale and productivity
Costs of BYOD stipends and/or allowances
Risk management expenses
Internal app development costs
Benefits of employees being more responsive to your customers

Read on for details.

10 Legal Challenges to Creating A BYOD Policy

2013-02-25T17:00:00+01:00

"Overheard recently at a BYOD symposium: "We've now gone from mainframe computers to desktops and on to the coffee shop." This says it all.

While today's workplace environment reflects IT consumerization through widespread proliferation of consumer mobile devices that include an array of smartphones, tablets, and netbooks, a host of enterprises still lack strategies regarding mobile device management (MDM) and in particular, strategies that are coupled with a formalized and well-articulated set of mobile use policies..."

General Duty of Care under our Legal System
Privacy (Personal Information)
Data Security and Protecting Data Integrity
Prohibition against "Jail Breaking" or �'Rooting�'
Confidential Information
Licensing & Intellectual Property Rights
Employee-Employer relationship
Electronic Communications, Document Preservation and Evidentiary Obligations
Insurance and Liability Considerations
Training & education

Read on for details.

4 Big BYOD Trends For 2013

2013-02-21T17:00:00+01:00

"Last year, research firm Gartner heralded the bring-your-own-device, or BYOD, phenomenon as the 'most radical shift in enterprise client computing since the introduction of the PC.' Such headlines often smack of hyperbole but so far, BYOD has lived up to expectations.

From executives who wanted corporate email access on their iPads to employees who lobbied IT to allow Android smartphones in place of BlackBerrys, consumers have driven the trend. But BYOD isn't just about getting what employees getting what they want. It's also about the army of tablets that have entered the enterprise and how those tablets have changed the way employees work..."

10 Ways to Reduce Security Headaches in a BYOD World

2013-02-18T17:00:00+01:00

"You're about to officially allow Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in your organization. Understandably, you�'re concerned with the security of your network and data. With all those unknown variables entering the mix, how will you safeguard your company and keep sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands?"

Cloud, BYOD Are Not Without Risks

2013-02-18T17:00:00+01:00

"Two of the most common rallying cries when it comes to reducing cost and increasing efficiency would probably be the use of cloud and BYOD. In fact, I have recently recommended that SMBs leverage the cloud in order to trim their IT budgets.

However, implementing cloud services and BYOD is not without its own set of risks, too, as highlighted by recent incidents..."

A Tiered Approach to BYOD Control

2013-02-18T17:00:00+01:00

"While research varies, most organizations are only aware of 70-80 percent of the devices on their networks. Enterprise mobility presents new IT challenges and security threats with regards to managing endpoints, safeguarding network resources and protecting sensitive data. You can�'t ignore the iPad here, the Android smartphone over there, a consultant with a tethered laptop or the occasional personal WiFi access point blip �- it�'s the tip of the IT consumerization iceberg..."