With an abundance of mobile phones, tablets, and other personal devices; delivering Enterprise Mobility Solutions has become much more easier as compared to early years, however; the new avenues that have opened up for Enterprise Mobility Consulting in India brings in new, interesting and unforeseen challenges as well. Alongside the growing presence of SaaS applications and BYOD; data protection and integrity has become very critical and a concern that demands immediate attention.
Here are some very interesting and promising facts about BYOD adoption:
- 3 out of 4 companies are ready or have already agreed to permit BYOD
- BYOD penetration is more in US and less as compared in Europe
Image Courtesy: http://www.zdnet.com/article/research-74-percent-using-or-adopting-byod/
- Amazingly BYOD is used extensively in small organizations than large businesses
- IT and technology & education industries are prepared to allow BYOD
Image Courtesy: http://www.zdnet.com/article/research-74-percent-using-or-adopting-byod/
- Security concerns are taking its toll why lot of organizations are ruling out BYOD
Image Courtesy: http://www.zdnet.com/article/research-74-percent-using-or-adopting-byod/
Since, BYOD and enterprise mobility has become the norm of the day; a lot of organizations are on the path of adopting this evolution. However, there are a few & common doubts that have been bothering:
- How to track various devices the users work from?
- How to manage and apply policies across different device and platforms?
- How to make sure that sensitive data is not vulnerable?
- How to enable the users and also protecting the company’s interests along with meeting regulatory requirements?
The truth remains that there are no concrete answers to these questions and available solutions tend to vary from organization to organization depending on the regulatory and compliance concerns.
There would be teams who can function effortlessly with a completely locked-down phone and laptop, while on the other hand, there would be some users or mobile users who specifically require phone or tablet to access files and applications while they are on a move and simultaneously want a laptop to perform high level functions.
Therefore, the foremost thing that needs attention is to identify the challenges and your unique needs to effectively address the security concerns. The best approach is to provide flexibility; it should be a mix of devices and applications.
Now, where to begin?
As part of a successful strategy to ensure seamless Enterprise Mobility Management Services; one should address these three core areas:
- Identity Management
- Device policy enforcement and remediation
- File/Data Security and Control
Identity Management:
A number of organizations have adopted Active Directory to make sure the identities for traditional systems and applications are well-managed.
Most of the companies want to manage the identities within Active Directory or Open LDAP. However, there are numerous solutions which address data synchronization and identity management very effectively. Some of them are below:
- You can individually manage multiple (often dozens) of identity banks for different application
- Build an extension for each cloud app individually using ADFS.
- Leverage an Identity as a Service solution or IDaaS, as it often referred to as Single Sign On, or SSO
The first two options are available for “free of cost.”
However; it does require huge investment in man-hours, and a significant physical infrastructure.
IDaaS requires some investment but not too much; it is monthly cost, as the solutions are valued under the SaaS monthly option.
Device Policy Implementation:
By now, most organizations have put the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) into practice.
While initially the use of devices was restricted to email access, however, these days, most users utilize the devices just as much as a traditional laptop or desktop. They access different types of files, applications, and are seldom seen away from the device.
Keeping this situation in mind, many organizations have adopted a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to restrict the indiscriminate use of mobile devices. Most of the time, the restriction involved locking down email and file access, with many limitations. These solutions proved expensive, and were overburdened by heavy features most customers hardly use.
However, with the latest updates MDM solutions tries to address these issues, by applying 80-90% of feature at a more cost-effective price point. It’s also crucial to ensure that the device management solution meshes with any desktop-management solution, to make sure that all devices and policies are universal across the enterprise.
File/Data Security and Control:
In spite of controlling accessing the files to a certain set of users and devices, there are still numerous ways the data can be compromised. The stark reality is that individual files can be downloaded without any problems, can be shared, or just simply lost (say on a lost and unlocked laptop). In order to address this weak point, many organizations are now depending on file-level “rights management” means.
Given the fact that files are usually located at several places, search of cloud-based (or extended-to-cloud) solutions is necessary. Organizations looking to life above the current situation and gain a competitive edge require adopting a strong BYOD strategy.
Going by the times, is the smartest move. Adopting a BYOD program has become a prerequisite. There will be challenges, and these observations are likely to help you overcome BYOD obstacles successfully.
About Author:
Chirag Shivalker is one of the very few business writers with flair of social commentary through his technical writing. With A decade long experience in technology writing and trend analysis Chirag is an expert in technology and technological trends along with business writing. Technology in mind and words at will Chirag is an all-rounder who has established his writing capabilities’ in multiple technology disciplines.
