Remember when desk calendars were really big? And you actually wrote on them? And remember the days when being in a meeting meant you weren’t reachable. If you were away from your desk, you didn’t have access to the tools you needed to get the job done. Of course, those days are gone. Today employees use smartphones and tablets like the iPad to access email accounts and applications on the go… and sometimes, non-work related sites like YouTube and Facebook.
It is estimated that over 700 billion minutes a month are spent on Facebook and over 200 million people access the app through their mobile phone.* Besides eating away time at work, these devices, when accessing streaming data like videos or music, gobble up your Internet system’s bandwidth and can become a security threat to your system if lost or stolen.
Here is a common sense approach to keep your business secure and your employees focused.
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Secure your “smartphone” network. Keep personal devices on the “other” side of the corporate network firewall by setting up a separate network for personal phones and tablets. While this is still “gobbling” up Internet bandwidth, it will protect the corporate network from malicious software and spyware.
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Create a network policy. Configure the network to allow some users to connect with smart devices and explicitly deny others. To protect sensitive data being compromised, create a network policy that forces users to input a PIN every time the phone is turned on and even go so far as to wipe the device of its data remotely if the PIN is entered incorrectly after a set amount of incorrect inputs. (Again, make sure your employees are aware of all consequences.)
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Put it in writing. Have your employees review and SIGN an Internet and Personal Smartphone/Device Policy. Make sure it clearly states what should and should not be accessed from a personal or work device while using business resources (e.g. corporate Internet connection).
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Clearly state the consequences. Your policy should clearly state what actions will occur inhouse and/or remotely, should there be a loss of device, violation or termination.
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Be ready to implement your policy. Have a plan of action in place. Designate an employee to the task and require immediate action.
*As reported by digitalbuzz Blog: http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-stats-facts-2011/