In September 2013, the Pew Research released the results of a study conducted during the previous spring that revealed 65% of Americans owns smartphones. Among smartphone owners the Android was the most popular, while the iPhone was a close second. Data showed that 28% of smartphone users owned Androids, 25% had smart phones, and only 4% were still using the struggling BlackBerry.
Given the growing prevalence of smartphones, many companies have decided to adopt “bring your own device policies.” A BYOD policy allows employees to use their personal phones and mobile devices for job-related communications. Although BYOD extends to tablets and laptops, it most commonly involves smartphones.
While BYOD can be a cost-effective alternative to companies supplying their employees with business devices, the nature of BYOD also gives rise to security issues. Naturally, when employees are carrying their devices back and forth from the office, there is a substantial risk that one or more of those devices becomes lost or stolen. If that were to happen, unauthorized individuals could get access to privileged company information, which could be damaging to the business.
As a means of protecting themselves from potential security problems, more businesses with BYOD policies are utilizing cutting-edge mobile device management systems. Since more people are choosing to use iphones, iPhone management systems are designed to provide companies with the latest tools to protect confidential information from security breaches.
In the event that an employee becomes separated from his or her iPhone, the company can remotely access the phone and erase any information stored on the device that it deems necessary. Even though some companies put into place authentication protocols as precautionary security measures, no protocol is 100% foolproof when it comes to security.
The popularity of mobile devices offers companies and employees unprecedented flexibility in business communications. Of course, every new convenience usually comes with a price, and with BYOD that price is the potential for iPhone security problems. The good news is today’s state-of-the-art iPhone management systems allow companies to rest assured that sensitive information will remain safe from security breaches, while allowing them to embrace technology, and to operate more efficiently.