Cybersecurity Vulnerability Posed by Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To understand the jargon used in the study of IT security, it is important to differentiate two terms that often get used interchangeably – vulnerability and threat. According to the Threat Analysis Group, a company that provides objective and independent security advice, a threat is anything that can exploit a vulnerability, intentionally or accidentally, and obtain, damage or destroy an asset, while a vulnerability is a weakness or gap in a security program that can be exploited by threats to gain unauthorized access to an asset. Threats include spyware, malware, adware companies, organized crime, and disgruntled internal employees, all of which are also referred to as
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Centralization and management of data using mainframe and minicomputers were diminished. Yet, during those times, organizations still retained tight control over the computing devices their employees could use. However, around the turn of the millennium, computers became more affordable, mobile, and connected. Additionally, home computers became increasingly used for after office hours’ work (McLellan, 2013). As more and more employees bring their own devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) to work to connect to the corporate network, organizations started adopting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. This policy, although has some merits in offering organizations benefits in terms of costs, employee satisfaction, productivity, and innovation, also exposes the organizations to security vulnerabilities and loss of sensitive information due to the use of personal devices in the …show more content…
Employees prefer to use their own smartphones, tablets and laptops which they have chosen and invested in, as opposed to the ones selected for them by IT. Additionally, using the same devices for work and for personal purposes also relieves employees the burden of carrying multiple devices anywhere they go, which boosts employee mobility. According to Deloitte’s The Connected Workplace report, 83% of skilled workers with “access to flexible IT policies said they were satisfied with their work, compared with 62% of their counterparts who didn’t get to enjoy flexible IT conditions” (Lui, 2013). Flexible IT policies included those of BYOD and
[39] Kevin Johnson and Tony DeLaGrange. SANS Institute. SANS Survey on Mobility/BYOD Security Policies and Practices 2012 [Online] Available from: http://www.sans.org/reading-room/analysts-program/SANS-survey-mobility [Accessed 07 Dec 2013]
Gone are the days when computers used to be owned by big corporations and were so expensive and complicated to handle that common public couldn't even dream of having one. Nowadays, there is a computer in virtually every household in America. People of all ages and from every walk of life use computers according to their specific requirements. Professionals working in an office to a housewife at home all are using computers for their benefits. It has become an indispensable tool for us.
Bring your Own Device Technology has become essential for use in the work place. Many companies rely on the use of technology for communication. Every business needs technology for e-mail, internet, phones and social networking. As technology rapidly changes, businesses must decide how to implement and regulate these technologies. Companies must decide whether they provide devices or require employees to provide their own.
When I started, people smoked cigarettes at their desks and data was accessed by a mainframe terminal or on microfiche. Much has changed over the years, and now all the data is accessed using a graphical user interface or WebPages using a PC. Numerous other characteristics have changed. The ranks of management have changed from primarily white male, to a more diverse mix of race and gender. Management tactics have also been altered.
With the increasingly ubiquitous nature of mobile devices and online availability, including smartphones and tablets, there is also an understandable concern about the level of security that is afforded to such devices. This can be considered as increasingly important given the proliferation of policies such as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) which are being used by diverse organizations as a way of lowering the cost of ownership for such devices while also leveraging the flexibility advantages that their utilization can bring. It is therefore an area of immense interest due to the changing and emerging nature of both the technology itself as well as the security concerns. Due to the sensitive and confidential information that would exist on such devices, it is imperative that security solutions and processes are implemented in order to protect and secure such content from the proliferation of threats and vulnerabilities which can affect mobile devices (Juniper Networks, n.d.). Mobile devices are being exposed to a record number of security threats, with potentially alarming statistics indicating a 400 percent increase in Android malware, for example, while Wi-Fi connections are also being increasingly targeted.
The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many
"Technology is like fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes." (1) Since the dawn of computers, there has always been a want for a faster, better technology. These needs can be provided for quickly, but become obsolete even quicker. In 1981, the first "true portable computer", the Osborne 1 was introduced by the Osborne Computer Corporation. (2) This computer revolutionized the way that computers were used and introduced a brand new working opportunity.
Sadly, many people refuse to face the onslaught of computer technology. A 1994 survey conducted by Dell Computers indicated the 55% of Americans are phobic or resistant to computers (Column). In addition, many important people, including CEOÕs of major companies, are rumored to be computer illiterate (Column). The former CEO of IBM even admitted to never using a computer (Column). Fortunately, PC’s are becoming more and more user friendly as the technology improves. Fewer errors, less maintenance and quicker functioning should encourage many reluctant people to finally step into the new era.
The computer evolution has been an amazing one. There have been astonishing achievements in the computer industry, which dates back almost 2000 years. The earliest existence of the computer dates back to the first century, but the electronic computer has only been around for over a half-century. Throughout the last 40 years computers have changed drastically. They have greatly impacted the American lifestyle. A computer can be found in nearly every business and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). Our Society relies critically on computers for almost all of their daily operations and processes. Only once in a lifetime will a new invention like the computer come about.
But in the use of the term “technology” today, there is far more associated meaning than automobiles or washing machines. It has ushered in an entirely new way of working, and in increasing numbers of organizations, increased options of just where work associated with a particular job will be done. More employees than ever have the option of working at home yet still being employed either full...
The biggest and easiest seen change that computers have had on today’s society can be seen in the workplace. Before computers became an office tool and were made available to the average employee, paperwork and sharing information in an office setting was done by many different individuals constantly filing and looking up figures. Now a computer can store large amounts of information that is readily available to virtually anyone with the click of a mouse button. One person can complete a job that in a time before computers would take many. Computers have made file cabinets and libraries almost obsolete. Businesses can share information nation or even world wide in a matter of seconds. For example, a word document file can be sent from an office in New York to an office in Los Angeles in under a minute, in the past this same information would have taken a week to be sent through the mail. Computers have changed the way that factories are run too. On an assembly line, before computers every job, no matter how easy or difficult, had to be done by an employee. Now, however, computers run machines and do most of these tasks.
Computers are forever present in the workplace. Word processors-computer software packages that simplify the creational and modification of documents-have largely replaced the typewriter. Electronic mail has made it easy to send messages worldwide via computer communication networks. Office automation has become the term for linking workstations, printers, database system, and other tools by means of a local-area network. An eventual goal of office automation has been termed the 'paperless office.' Although such changes ultimately make office work much more efficient, they have not been without cost in terms of purchasing and frequently upgrading the necessary hardware and software and of training workers to use the new technology.
Today, computers influence all lifestyles, and all different types of businesses. They have become an essential part of everyday life, from chatting, to e-mail, to commerce, to gaming. Almost every person in the United States has had some use on the computer. Since the technology age began, computers have become a mainstay in American and world society as much as the telephone, the automobile, and the television.
Advances in technology have changed businesses dramatically, in particular the communication and information technology that are conducted in firms, which changed the appearance and pace of businesses over the past few decades. ICT in particular, has evolved a lot over the past 30 years; important information can be stored in computers rather than being in drawers enabling information to be transferred at a greater volume and speed (Guy, 2009). ICT has also expanded various forms of telecommunications and workload conducted in businesses, internet examples of this include: e-mails can be used to communicate with others...
The integration of a variety of information systems into business operations is necessary for growth in the dynamic business environment. These information systems can be minimized and fixed into mobile devices such as smartphones. The use of smartphones can play an important role in supporting business processes and operations, developing strategies for competitive advantage and decision making. These smartphones allow employees to be linked to the office, its data and resources, without being in the office. The use of smartphones for business processes can make the business more efficient and effective. They make it easier for co-workers to communicate among themselves and facilitates better communication between the business and its employees, customers, suppliers and even other businesses, and makes it possible in real-time. For CPS Energy and Lloyd’s Construction, although they were doing well, they realised that they could do much better. They needed to find new ways to further cut costs and maximize profitability. They both decided that the best way to do that was through the introduction of smartphones in their business operation.