Partner Article

Smartphones: the transition from accessory to necessity

A smartphone is no longer the symbol of a C-level executive; they exist for everyone. A flashy new handset is no longer a conversation starter; the discussion has evolved into ‘what are you doing with it and how does it makes your life easier?’

If you are sitting at your desk or on the bus, the majority of people will be using their smartphone in some capacity. Our work and personal lives are now blurred thanks to the power of smartphones. The International Telecoms Union predicted there would be more mobile phone subscriptions than people in the world within 12 months.

It is clear that purchasing a smartphone is decreasingly an investment motivated by style or trend; it is approached as a business and lifestyle necessity. The real challenge is now for businesses to accommodate employee smartphone use into their internal IT architecture. Extreme growth of mobile ownership goes hand-in-hand with an explosion of data security issues. If this isn’t addressed, employee smartphones will rapidly become portals for data breaches waiting for happen.

Data leakage is a major issue for CEOs, and this is set to worsen as mobile devices proliferate. Companies need a strategy that allows employees to effectively use their own devices in the workplace without compromising privacy. They need to have the ability to contain corporate information on employee’s devices, thereby keeping the data secure and not infringing on personal use.

With more devices than people in the world, it would be a fair presumption that the majority of people will attempt access company data on their personal device. So although few companies currently have a BYOD scheme in place, the majority desperately need one. Smartphones inform, enable and equip people to work more efficiently; therefore, businesses must find a secure method for the two spheres to co-exist.

As smartphones become increasingly sophisticated and accessible across all price-points, security strategies must be a priority. The question dictating budgets and board meetings is, with 6.8 billion mobile phones in use, how can employees use the devices they want, in the way they want, without compromising security?

The difference between success and failure lies with how personal and professional data is managed. By separating corporate data into a secure container, management can be safe in the fact that confidential material is always safe. Such a strategy ensures the device ultimately belongs to the user, but the business data will always be contained.

As smartphones migrate from just existing in our personal lives, to being a tool at work, businesses must step up and protect their data. Precedent has shown that individuals are not aware of the security implications of storing confidential information on their devices, so, businesses must make steps to safeguard company data on any device and educate business users accordingly. The smartphone is no longer a lifestyle accessory; it is a business necessity and must be secured as such.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Phil Barnett .