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Growing BYOD Trend in Middle East Requires Ramped Up Data Center Security
Published Oct 30, 2014
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Organizations that do not dial up their data center security in keeping pace with the growing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend in the region are at an increased risk of falling victim to external threats, according to experts at Condo Protego, a leading data storage and security firm in Dubai.
BYOD, where employees bring their own smartphones, laptops, tablets and other devices into the workplace, is a booming market as demand for connected devices grows. In the Middle East & Africa, the BYOD market is expected to grow from USD 11.1 billion in 2013 to USD 38.03 billion by 2019, according to a report by MicroMarket Monitor.
The BYOD market is being driven by an increasingly tech-savvy mobile workforce, with half of all mobile subscriptions in the region expected to be for smartphones by 2019, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report. Garter Inc. estimates that half of employers worldwide will require employees to supply their own devices by 2017.
However, experts warn that while the BYOD trend can boost productivity and deliver cost savings it also increases security dangers, as employees bypass IT admin rules, and lost devices can mean confidential data is exposed outside the company.
“While BYOD can lead to happier, more productive employees able to work flexibly on devices they are comfortable with, organizations need to recognize it also presents security risks – from the spreading of malware to security policies being bypassed and confidential data exposed,’’ said Savitha Bhaskar, General Manager of Condo Protego.
“CIOs and IT managers are under increasing pressure to protect their networks – while operating on ever-tighter budgets – and consequently there is a clear need for much greater awareness about the dangers posed by BYOD.”
“A major security threat posed by the BYOD trend arises when personal devices business servers and bypass network policy and admin rules that would traditionally apply to business-owned devices. This results in a number of security risks, from the spreading of malware and other vulnerabilities that may exist on the personal device onto network servers, to data leakage and endpoint security issues,” added Bhaskar.
Devices may also carry confidential and proprietary information, and a lost device can mean unknown exposure. According to Cisco’s recent Middle East ICT Security Study, 65 percent of employees don’t understand the security risks of using personal devices in the workplace.
Companies need to take a number of key considerations into account when forming a BYOD strategy for their business, according to Condo Protego. First is to get a baseline of what the environment looks like by using tools that monitor the network and provide an inventory of what is connected to it.
Companies can then define which devices are permitted to connect to the network and secure sensitive business applications and data and decide whether or not personal devices can access this content.
Enforcement tools, such as mobile device management (MDM) software, are critical to address security and compliance concerns. An MDM tool can set policies on when a device can connect to the network and manage what apps are available to employees.
“Employee training is also crucial,” said Bhaskar. “Companies should educate employees about how to appropriately use their own device in the work place, and what risky behaviors to avoid.”
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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