BYOD and cybersecurity keep IT decision-makes awake at night

When two entities with different agendas try to work within the same parameters, there can be friction. Many television crime procedurals have plot points that revolve around this – detectives, crime lab and lawyers all following separate rules to try and do the same thing – catch the bad guy.

IT departments are in the same boat, especially when it comes to other employees and cybersecurity. Many businesses are increasing their BYOD presence and with it comes additional avenues for potential security problems. A distrust can form between the two groups as both sides try to reach their goal in the easiest way possible.

Galen Gruman examined this distrust in a recent InfoWorld blog post. He cited BYOD policies as one of the current battlegrounds. Employees are becoming more tech savvy, which is leading them to take shortcuts and not ask permission for using devices or downloading applications.

“Users: Yes, IT really does think you’re stupid and/or naive, and therefore not to be trusted. IT: Yes, users really do think you’re clueless about their needs and so have decided to act on their own,” wrote Gruman.

CIO.com recently interviewed Blackberry Chief Information Officer Robin Bienfait about BYOD policies. She said that outside of the occasional Playbook tablet, the company does not allow any kind of outside devices to be used on the internal network. She went on to say that as an IT professional, cybersecurity is the one thing that keeps her awake at night.

With tablets and smartphones becoming second nature to consumers, it is only a matter of time before IT departments will have to confront the issue. Consulting firms like CTI Technology can help any business embrace BYOD and get the most out of the strategy.

Many businesses are increasing their BYOD presence and with it comes additional avenues for potential security problems.