Security concerns to be top IT focus in 2013

As this blog has covered a number of times, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategies have been growing in popularity over the last 18 months thanks to the rise in functionality of mobile devices. Companies that have been allowing workers to bring their personal gadgets to the office with increased regularity which has helped open up new business practices.

While the benefits of BYOD are numerous – lower hardware costs, better technology, mobile solutions to name a few – they do bring with them extra challenges that IT departments need to be concerned with. A recent report from information service specialists Wisegate points at security protocols as one of the top area of focus for BYOD practices in 2013.

According to the report, the possibility of theft, loss or hacking of company data from a smartphone or tablet is the main concern facing IT professionals. On top of that the use of cloud solutions and third party applications like Dropbox – which can keep a device connected to work servers or hold valuable company information – can open a pandora's box of issues if the device using them was to be compromised.

To successfully combat these potential problems, a best practice is to ensure all members of the business are on the same page when it comes to BYOD security.

"IT operations and [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][information security] professionals have their work cut out for them in the year ahead. Though security threat vectors are changing, the underlying principles of how to address them are not. It's important to get out in front of potential threats and involve everyone in the organization," the report said.

IT consulting firms like CTI Technology can help a company audit not only their BYOD strategy but also partnered solutions like network cabling, to ensure a mobile setup is secure.