Comments on: BYOD wave sparks big security concerns

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:28:47 +0000

This sounds good but if NAC is as capable a protection as you say, why are so many IT people so concerned about BYOD? “It’s a knotty problem, as any IT pro will attest.”

By: Jack Marsal

Jack Marsal — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:05:44 +0000

Agree that support for “myriad devices” is hard to do if you don’t have infinite budget. An inexpensive first step is to apply security controls to your network. Your network is one thing (not myriad of things), and you control it (unlike the personal devices that you don’t own). With network access control (NAC), you can gain immediate visibility and control over every device on your network, including the brand new device that someone just bought last night at Best Buy. So NAC is a future-proof solution. The leading-edge NAC products can tell you about the security posture of mobile devices like iOS and Android, letting you make wise choices about whether to allow certain devices (e.g. jailbroken phones) onto the network. With NAC, you can control where each type of user and each type of device can go on your network, thus protecting your network resources from attack and data loss. Check out this SANS report T http://bit.ly/MaiQzh for more information.

By: Julia Mak

Julia Mak — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:29:17 +0000

It is a tricky balance – giving users access to data but to still maintain control over corporate data. Ultimately IT doesn’t want data to be uploaded into consumer applications. This is the exact problem we’re trying to solve at Oxygen right now – our approach is to support and integrate with existing storage systems, allow IT to keep their own data on-premise but still give users mobile access.

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:30:11 +0000

^^ I think the point here is if there is a choice, then the employee should be able to make that choice to BYOD or have a company supplied. In my company I would rather BYOD so that I have all the tools required to do my job at my hands, rather than put up with an inefficient SOE with only half the software. Getting programs added to the SOE is restrictive and not a timely exercise once approvals, testing and deployment occurs. Positives and Negatives on both sides of the fence I guess.

By: Luscious

Luscious — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:20:49 +0000

Any reputable company will expense what hardware is needed by their personnel to get the job done. Companies expecting employees to bring their own equipment, and expecting employees to then pay for it out of their own pocket when it breaks during work use, is not a company I would want to work for. If my boss demands I use a laptop, I give him a detailed hardware estimate with machine specs and tell him to “buy me one”. BYOD = being taken advantage of.

By: cold

cold — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:11:41 +0000

“IT pros who have commented on past GigaOM stories on this topic blasted company management for expecting support of myriad devices while cutting IT budget and staff.”

So they will just have to be flexible and work harder.

Just like every other department has been forced to over the past decade.

The tail should not wag the dog, IT need to realise they are providing a service to the company employees, not enslaving them.

By: Peter Deep

Peter Deep — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:40:04 +0000

The headline should read, “BYOD wave sparks irrational online blog alarmism.”

By: Scott Perry

Scott Perry — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:54:11 +0000

Naturally, Gartner reports reflect the bias,particularly the geographic perspective, of the report authors. this one appears to have been written with a “global” bias. Were the release/report written based on US market perspectives, the emphasis, IMHO, would be different. What I often find missing in organizations who are not at the leading edge, is the strategy and policy work, prior to choosing tools to solve problems.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:46:26 +0000

Because, tablets and smartphones are consumer devices without enterprise controls. Companies can monitor files leaving their laptops and force encrypt USB sticks. Once data is on a tablet, it’s gone..

This is ignoring data loss reporting requirements from all 50 states if customer personally identifiable information is lost.. Good luck not being sued.

By: focher

focher — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:13:40 +0000

I still fail to understand why a tablet, smartphone, or laptop introduce a data security issue any different than the photo copier or a USB stick does. It’s still comes down to IT being locked into a mindset of control, but it’s really just a facade.