If your business is like most small and medium businesses (SMBs), then some level of a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy has probably already become a de facto standard. Most users these days want to be able to access their email, calendar, and documents from their mobile device, and most of the time, that mobile device is going to be their own and not a company device. Today’s mobile technology makes it easier than ever for end users to connect their phone to the company mail server.
For the most part, this is a good thing. You want your employees to be empowered and connected. However, you don’t just want to fully open the door to every employee with an all-access pass to secure content. What’s needed are strategies and policies that will keep employees empowered while ensuring that your corporate data and networks remain secure.
Security and Mobility
Instead of promising to use your gym membership for the third year in a row, why not make protecting corporate data and empowering employees your New Year's Resolution for 2016? A Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution will help grant your organization a better understanding of what devices your employees are using to connect to your network, and also helps ensure that those devices comply with the policies you have decided on. You may even want to use an MDM solution to provision certain mobile apps to employee phones.
The policies you decide on will depend on many factors, but it is crucial to put thought into them. Example questions to ask include:
- Do you want to require passcodes on employee phones?
- Should their devices be encrypted?
- Do you want to prevent certain apps from being installed, or automatically provision apps to be installed?
- Do you want to prevent jailbroken or rooted devices from connecting to your network?
The answers to these questions will depend on factors such as how sensitive your data is and what sort of experience you want to give your employees.
How to Get Started
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, DMC can help you get set up with Microsoft’s MDM solution, the Enterprise Mobility Suite. In particular, the Intune component of the suite can be used to enroll employee devices, enforce policies, roll out apps, and maintain an overview of all connected devices. Azure Rights Management, another EMS component, can help ensure that sensitive data is not shared outside your organization. We will also help you think through the various policy and licensing options and their implications.
While most resolutions get harder and harder as the year goes on, implementing an MDM solution actually makes it easier to stick to your New Year’s Resolution of protecting your business and empowering your employees. If you’ve been thinking about putting BYOD policies in place, make 2016 the year that you do!
Learn more about DMC's Microsoft Consulting and Enterprise Mobility Services.