The “BYOD work culture” is too often portrayed as a headache exclusively impacting businesses and their IT teams. The sharing of personal and business space with electronic devices certainly raises employee concerns as well.
Where is the line between personal and business?
What privacies do employees relinquish when they use their personal devices for their work?
A smart mobility strategy protects the confidence of the workforce as well as enterprise data by clearly answering these questions.
After all, if your team isn’t on board- how effective can any program possibly be?
Most companies manage device usage with a MDM (mobile device management) software that allows the IT department to delineate what information it collects and what information it does not.
The development of new privacy-facing functionality by MDM industry leader AirWatch addresses a larger industry-wide trend towards better communication of the BYOD policies to employees.
One of the biggest misconceptions that I want to clear up is that AirWatch does not have the ability to collect information on the personal messages users send or receive from the device. These messages include personal emails, SMS, MMS, phone calls, voice messages or FaceTime messages. AirWatch cannot collect meta-data on these messages, either.
-John Britton, AirWatch
If this issue has not been on your radar, trust us that it is on your employees’. Here are a few of the major concerns employees express about BYOD that need to be considered as you evolve your enterprise mobility management strategy:
1. Location tracking. Arguably, GPS tracking may be essential for certain roles, such as tracking and supporting field technicians, collecting data to improve delivery and inventory efficiencies, and even recovering lost/missing devices. Will your system require employees to use location tracking?
2. What’s being collected? Understandably, employees push back against blanket programs that do not reveal what data their IT department collects. Many newer updates to MDM software now allow for users to view a control panel that shows exactly what data is being tracked.
3. What is your “wipe policy” in the event of a data breach? It’s likely your company is much more interested in having the ability to destroy data than snoop on employees. Explaining to your workers what would happen to a device in the event of loss or breach manages expectations.
Transparency is key. As you evolve your enterprise mobility management strategy, take into account employee concerns and clearly communicate your plans.
In this fast-evolving field, communicating your BYOD policy effectively protects employee morale and prevents misinformation and rumor. For guidance in the implementation of MDM software privacy plans and other mobility management challenges, contact Kelley Technology today.
