Bring your own device (BYOD) is an ever-increasing global trend that poses security risks for companies, although being a convenience to employees.
Just as the advent of the Internet has enabled employees to work remotely, smartphones and tablets are allowing workers to take the job and the company's network on the road.
This is according to Bruce Goodwill, sales director for EMEA at AVG, who says an increasing amount of employees prefer to use their personal devices at work.
"It might be convenient for employees, but it causes an enormous headache for their company's IT department. Every time a personal device is connected to the company network, there is a risk that the security of the entire network will be compromised or breached," he explains.
A recent study conducted by TNS Sofres among IT directors revealed that 45% of respondents claim their personal hardware and software are more useful to them than the applications provided by their employers.
The ability to use personal devices for work purposes is apparently having a decidedly positive impact on employee morale, with 88% of survey participants believing that it has increased their job satisfaction.
However, the survey also revealed the flip side of BYOD, with 72% of companies revealing they have experienced increased security incidents due to the use of mobile devices. The survey also confirmed that, during a typical week, 5.2% of IT staff time is spent on e-mail security management.
Other surveys that have also been conducted specifically to scrutinise the BYOD trend confirm that BYOD initiatives are lacking adequate security.
"When an attack occurs on an employee's personal device that has also been connected to the employer's network, the IT department has to intervene, since it can compromise the security of the company's entire network," explains Goodwill.
"It becomes a costly endeavour that often leads to hours of time wasted as IT employees work on trying to find, fix and secure the device or network," he continues.
"It is imperative that SMEs implement and enforce a strict BYOD policy," suggests Goodwill.
He notes that most companies that provide their employees with devices issue them along with a company mobile liability policy.
"This means that, not only do they provide and pay for the mobile device, but they can dictate what their employees are allowed to do with it," he adds.
It also means that they may have remote capabilities to monitor an employee's activity on the device and which will allow them to remotely wipe the data. In the event of BYOD, the employer might insist on having the same remote control of their workers' devices," he concludes.
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