bring your own device (ByoD)

The increasing equipment of private individuals with powerful mobile devices such as tablets, notebooks and smartphones has triggered a trend known as consumerization, which is being implemented by companies in the form of Bring your own Device (ByoD) or Bring your own Computer (ByoC) or Bring your own PC (ByoPC) or Choose your own Device ( CyoD).

Bring your own device means that private devices are integrated into the company's work process. If company-owned devices can also be used privately, this is referred to as Corporate Owned, Personal Enabled( COPE). The trend toward using private mobile devices for corporate tasks was initiated years ago with home offices that are integrated into virtual private networks(VPNs). The trend was reinforced by social networks and employee collaboration and, most importantly, by powerful mobile devices and cloud computing.

"Bring your own device" technology is bringing the work world and the private world together. Work and private life can hardly be separated anymore. Users work on transparent platforms in which they work out projects and presentations in the office or from home. Transparency means that project progress is directly visible to everyone involved in the project. The company saves on costly investments and support costs, as many users frequently replace their products with new developments and maintain them themselves. In addition, employees can access the current project data from any location at any time and use it as a sales aid during meetings or sales talks.

Security aspects of ByoD

One problem, however, is security, which is compromised by both personal and professional use of the devices. This is because Bring Your own Apps( ByoA) users also load private apps onto their smartphones or tablets, which often collect personal and location data, but also look into contact lists and calendar entries or analyze surfing behavior. These apps can also access corporate data, which must be avoided at all costs in ByoD. Therefore, the necessary security aspects must be sufficiently defined and managed within the framework of IT security, as the ByoD device itself poses a threat to security within the WLAN.

Appropriate security systems such as Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems(WIPS) can be used to prevent unauthorized users from intercepting data via a device logged onto the network and to prevent business data from being stored. In addition to WIPS systems, Mobile Device Management( MDM) or Enterprise Mobility Management( EMM) systems are also an option. Virtualization is also an option for increasing security, as are comprehensive access authorizations and encryption.