Improving BYOD Security With Office 365 EM+S
Growing cyber threats and rapidly multiplying endpoints is a combination that keeps IT up at night. From stolen phones to phishing attempts, employees can be vulnerable to a number of threats when they use their own private devices. Organizations need comprehensive BYOD policies to protect themselves against potentially being compromised by employee devices.
The problem – BYOD policies also rely on employees themselves to enforce them. Here’s what you need to know about improved BYOD security through Office 365 EM+S.
The Problem With BYOD Policies
BYOD policies govern what employees should and shouldn’t do with their personal devices. If employees have business-related information on their devices, they should keep their device locked at all times. They should have security systems on their devices to scan for viruses and threats, and they should learn how to recognize phishing attempts.
However, all of this relies on employees policing themselves. Employees make mistakes or simply fail to follow protocol, and if an organization’s network and data can be compromised through an accident, it is not secure. A technological solution is far more reliable for an organization than relying on the actions of their employees.
Further, more and more employees are feeling the need to use their own personal devices for work — and many BYOD policies also require that employees register their device with their employers. Not only does this create extra work for IT, but it also makes the employee’s personal device no longer fully their own.
Manage Employee Devices With Office 365 EM+S
Office 365 EM+S provides a comprehensive security solution when used in conjunction with a strong BYOD policy. EM+S provides app-level security control over an employee’s device, which keeps work apps protected while ignoring personal applications. No employer data is accessed through anything except for these work applications, which means work-related data is never compromised.
Meanwhile, employees can freely utilize their own personal devices and their personal apps, without interference from the organization. Microsoft Office’s single sign-on solution makes it so that they can easily log into their work-related apps to do everything from checking their calendar to reading their email. This provides a productive, efficient platform that is still highly secure.
Moreover, this separates personal information from corporate information, which not only reduces the risk of company exposure but also reduces the chances that employees could potentially lose personal information if their device is compromised. This is a better situation for both employee and company.
With conditional access and permissions, EM+S can further restrict access to company apps and data by user role, where the individual is located, what application they’re using, and more — and can also deny any connections that appear to be potentially suspicious. Devices don’t need to be registered and BYOD policies can still be followed to reduce potential risk.
Office 365 EM+S is an excellent solution for any organization attempting to improve its mobile device security. Through Office 365 EM+S, organizations can separate their company data from their personal data, and secure data on an application level. For more information about Office 365 and how it can be used to secure your network, contact Red River today.
