Study: Employees Lack BYOD Policy Awareness

Despite the risks inherent in adopting a bring your own device (BYOD) initiative, which allows employees to use personal mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for work, IT departments are not making employees aware of their BYOD policies, according to a report from business software products and services provider Globo.

The survey found 14 percent of respondents do not know if their company currently has a BYOD policy and 91 percent responded that they do not know if their company plans to implement a BYOD policy.

Usage out of line with policies

However, 68 percent of respondents said they use their personal devices for work, but only 29 percent said that their company actually has a BYOD policy in place.

Furthermore, 42 percent of respondents don’t know if their company’s BYOD policy allows IT to have full access to their personal devices.

“With the significant number of employees already using their personal devices for work, companies should be focused on creating a BYOD programme 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,” Globo’s vice president of business development and marketing Aggelos Grypaios said in a statement. “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.”

The report also indicated if IT clearly stated that they have access to their employee’s personal information such as emails and contacts, 93 percent of respondents would not participate in a BYOD programme, and 69 percent said that they would not consider breaking a company policy in regards to BYOD even if they knew that they would not get caught.

Security issues

The survey also found people using a personal device for work say that they are using it first and foremost to check emails (62 percent).

There are several security issues organisations need to keep in mind when implementing a BYOD programme, according to a study earlier this month conducted by IT research firm Gartner, including employee access to unsecure sites that could introduce malware into the company network, data leakage and privacy concerns.

Seventy percent of respondents in the survey said that they have or are planning to have BYOD policies within the next 12 months to allow employees to use personal mobile devices to connect to enterprise applications.

One-third of all organisations surveyed said they currently have BYOD policies in place for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

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Originally published on eWeek.