Sponsored by Dimension Data.

BYOD is a reality today.

Organizations have been trying to figure out how to manage this new ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) reality but there are very few organizations that have robust strategies and solutions to manage this new mobile world. Most organizations have embraced BYOD with a few one-off solutions for data protection or security but for a long-term solution, organizations need a robust end-to-end strategy.

Without a robust strategy to manage both the devices and the data, organizations are playing Russian roulette. Things may be OK for a while, but at some point, that ‘bullet’ is going to be fired and you’ll have a breach, lose data or have some other catastrophe befall the organization.

A robust strategy begins with the simplest of ideas (really…it does). The main idea appears to be simple in nature but is rather complex to implement.  That idea is the answer to this question: How can we ensure end-to-end protection for data regardless of device type?

Simple question with somewhat simple answers. The difficulty comes in when you try to incorporate those answers with your real-world environment.  Saying “we’ll put a solution in place that protects data on all devices end-to-end” is all fine and good until you have to then incorporate those devices, data and security into the pre-existing enterprise solutions. That’s where it gets very complicated.

A robust strategy for BYOD and mobility requires a re-thinking of the entire enterprise strategy.  While re-thinking doesn’t equate to re-working, it does mean a complete end-to-end revisit of the enterprise strategy to ensure BYOD and mobile devices are well represented in everything from security to backup to accessibility.

There are many things to consider when building this robust strategy, but the main topics are:

• End-to-end backup and recovery – can your devices be reliably backed up even when on the edge of your (or any) network?
• Enterprise Security – how well protected is your enterprise network from your employee’s devices (and vice versa)?
• Data Ownership – Be sure that you and your employees completely understand who owns the data on devices.
• Data Recovery from lost/left devices – Be sure you can recover data from devices that are lost or taken by employees. Also, be sure you can wipe those devices.
• Update processes for mobility – Many IT processes are built around accessibility. Meaning, backup and recovery are built around the idea that your devices are able to access to the network. What happens when those devices cannot access the network?

These are just a few things to think about. There are many more, but these items will get you started on the road to a building a robust, meaningful strategy for your BYOD enabled enterprise.

BYOD is here, and its here to stay. To ensure that your organization remains secure and the data on all of your devices remains protected and available, you’ve got to develop a robust strategy for your organization’s mobile devices, whether they are employee-owned devices or owned by the company.

How robust is your organization’s strategy for BYOD and mobile devices?

Sponsored by Dimension Data.