In an earlier post I looked at the current situation with BYOD, “bring your own device”. It’s a unique opportunity and dilemma for enterprise companies.
One of the central discussions in BYOD circles is not so much which device or which operating system. The biggest issue that CIOs are facing right now is security.
They (rightly so) want to protect the security and privacy of company information from prying eyes and from leaving the premises. I have a friend who works for a major automotive company in the deign section. He, and all the employees, are not even allowed to carry BYODs on the premise. They must be left in the employee’s vehicle. This may not be the norm, but is one solution.
Another solution has been established at IBM. The following Technology Review interview with Jeanette Horan, CIO for IBM notes:
Horan’s team has established guidelines about which apps IBM employees can use and which they should avoid. On the list of banned apps are public file-transfer services such as Dropbox; Horan says IBM fears that using such software could allow sensitive information to get loose. In the survey, other employees were found to be violating protocol by automatically forwarding their IBM e-mail to public Web mail services or using their smart phones to create open Wi-Fi hotspots, which make data vulnerable to snoops.
I don’t see BYOD going away. Nor will the need for mobile security in the business world, which is being driven more and more by cloud computing and a heavy mobile-centric workforce.
The secure, mobile access solution we created at Red e App is called ‘Red e Key.’ This unique access code is what allows an employee (or student for education uses) privileged entry into the enterprise’s mobile communication network. The employee is allowed access to the network so long as he or she is employed. However, the moment the employee is released, mobile network access can be denied and removed, all via a secure SaaS platform.
Secure, private mobile messaging and communication will be next on the CIO’s agenda in the BYOD era. Thank goodness we’re Red e!
Patrick Goodman
Red e App Product and Engagement Director
