Data is the lifeblood of the modern corporation, and it is therefore vital that that data be kept secure. One of the practices used by IT departments to help ensure data security is closed system equipment management: business devices that transmit crucial data are owned and issued by the company, employees not being permitted to handle business data on their personal devices.
This method is still fraught with problems. IT departments must purchase and maintain a large amount of small devices. Often, the technology is outdated, lacking key productivity features found on newer devices. Additionally, companies must then pay for data and cell phone plans for all these devices.
Fortunately, modern iphone management software makes it much easier than it used to be to secure and manage sensitive corporate data over employees’ personal devices. This makes it possible to offset the burdens of iphone enterprise management.
The iphone and ipad in the enterprise offer unparalleled mobile business management, at reduced cost. For example each Apple mobile device can use iMessage to talk to other Apple devices for free. Also, the costs of device maintenance, and responsibility for devices, is transferred from the corporation to the employee. Since Nine percent of iphone owners report having dropped their devices in the toilet, it is easy to see how much can be saved in physical maintenance costs alone.
Some estimates suggest that over half of smartphones used in the enterprise will be employee owned, but not all business fully understand how to properly implement iphone security and ipad security. 25 percent of companies that allow BYOD do not have an iphone enterprise management system in place.
To allay such security risks, it is vital that IT departments implement effective iphone management policies, such as requiring employees to lock and password protect their devices and deploy effective iphone enterprise management software with the capability to remotely lock and wipe devices that might be compromised.
Employees report BYOD leads to great productivity, less paperwork, streamlined workflow and more. It seems the benefits of bringing one’s own device to work outweigh the costs. Provided, of course, that there is an appropriate iphone enterprise management policy in place. It also helps if the phone is in a waterproof case.