Essay on Using Personal Devices in the Work Places

The use of personal devices in the workplace prompts the HRIM to implement policies designed to ensure that the employees use strong security practices when assessing the company network. Such policies would outline the company terms acceptable use of technology, how to operate it, and how to protect the company from cyber threats including ransomware, security breach, and hacking. It is essential to have a well-defined policy and thoroughly understand the benefits and risks associated with the use of personal devices in the firm. The policy will be made available to the employees in form of a document and they will be required to agree to it (Stephens, et al., 2019). The policy document will outline that the workers who may need to access the company’s digital assets can utilize their devices if they meet the requirements outlined within the policy.

To successfully implement the policies, first, security policies will be established to ensure that the employees address the potential pitfalls of pulling up sensitive information. this can be achieved by setting up strict password requirements to ensure data security even if the device fails in the wrong hands. Security policies must also establish the minimum-security controls for the devices, where the data will be stored, the requirement for security apps, and remove the data erase policy (Stephens, et al., 2019). The second step is to create an acceptable user guide that outlines the applications that the employees are permitted to access from their devices and the restricted apps (Thomas, 2020). It will also stipulate the restricted websites, the type of company-owned data that can be accessed, and the disciplinary actions when the policy is violated.

Mobile device management software will be installed to allow the company to manage and monitor all personal devices from just one application. The IT team will just authorize security settings and software configurations on any employee device provided it’s connected to their network (Shrestha & Thakur, 2019). The IT team will adopt two-factor authentications for company applications to deter hackers from impersonating users and thereby gain access to company accounts. The software would protect the company and private data in the devices. The sign-up process will be simplified to ensure that the employees do not hate the process. The policy will offer a provision for regularly training the employees on the best ways of using their devices and the potential security risks.

To ensure a successful rollout of personal device use, we will have to make sure that there is a strong but simple plan. In this way, the policy will be kept simple but easy to understand and follow. The security risks will be assessed to identify the risks including loss and theft of devices and accessing malicious websites (Shrestha & Thakur, 2019). The needs of each department will be established to ensure that the policy fits well with their goals and complements the responsibilities of the employees. It is essential to provide the employees with good education and communication for them to identify the need for the policy and security issues. It is important to test the policy to see if it’s clear and easy and that it’s being supported by every stakeholder in the company. The policy must be applied consistently and be kept easy for employees.

The policy can be monitored and enforced in various ways including the use of password management. Employees are educated on the importance of having good passwords that are changed regularly. The users must ensure that the systems are regularly backed and updated to reduce incidences of increasing vulnerabilities. The company would establish a mandatory requirement for wiping devices to make sure that no confidential information is left with the company. The employees will be regularly be checked to ensure that they uphold the policy, and to see if the regulations are working.

References

Stephens, K., Zhu, Y., Harrison, M., Iyer, M., Hairston, T., & Luk, J. (2017, January). Bring your own mobile device (BYOD) to the hospital: Layered boundary barriers and divergent boundary management strategies. In Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

Shrestha, P., & Thakur, R. N. (2019). Study on security and privacy related issues associated with BYOD policy in organizations in Nepal. LBEF Research Journal of Science, Technology and Management, 1(2), 41-62.

Thomas, S. (2020). Student’s evaluation of a classroom bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy. JALT Call Journal, 16(1).