Infosec 2013 - The BYOD Discussion Continues

This week at Infosec has been a great opportunity to talk to fellow security experts and businesses alike and it’s no surprise that BYOD has remained top of the agenda.

In fact, our survey of 120 attendees during the first day of the event revealed that BYOD tops the challenges that IT leaders are facing when trying to secure their networks and devices. 87 per cent highlighted that it is more difficult than ever to secure their business from the threat of cyber attacks, with almost one in four citing the BYOD trend as the major factor in why their organisation is more vulnerable. It’s also no surprise that a high percentage of visitors to our stand this week came to talk to us about BYOD.

This may seem shocking to many – the BYOD debate certainly seems to have been going on for years. However, businesses of all sizes are continuing to negotiate the tricky process of managing new devices on the network and putting in place the right levels of authentication to enable the workforce, without too many restrictions for access. It’s certainly true that the introduction of smartphones, laptops and tablets to the workplace has undoubtedly been a huge step forward in enabling mobile working – but it’s also come with its fair share of threats to the business.

The good news is that there are all-encompassing solutions for businesses in the market but the solution doesn’t end there. It’s easy for me to talk to IT managers and CIOs about the solutions which are available through technology, but the processes set out within the enterprise environment are also key. It’s not a case of one size fits all. The number one focus for anyone looking to implement a BYOD solution has to be to first understand the user base and their needs. What types of device are they using? Where are they accessing information from? What type of data are they accessing remotely? Once you understand the workforce you can map your solution to ensure the right levels of authentication to protect the network and ensure the best possible end-user experience.

It’s been great to speak to so many businesses this week about the challenges they are experiencing and it’s good to hear that more businesses are looking at how they can better enable their workforce. Success is in the detail, though – it’s not a case of buying a solution to tick a box, it’s about establishing what your organisation needs and how you can better support your employees. If you keep that focus in mind, you won’t go far wrong.