BYOD, otherwise known as Bring Your Own Device, is the practise of allowing your employees to use their own computers, smartphones and other devices for work purposes. This is a practise that is increasing in popularity at the moment. Research suggests that BYOD will enhance productivity, however it is likely to set-off another trend, and this is cloud computing. Cloud computing involves storing company data on the web via the use of a network of remote servers. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover the reasons why BYOD is going to push data into the cloud.
As more and more employees bring their own devices into the work place, it becomes necessary for companies to assess their current level of security. After all, BYOD means that there is going to be an increasing number of devices to oversee, and consequently more devices that need to be protected against security threats. You must also consider the fact that there are a greater number of avenues by which sensitive corporate data can be stolen or leaked. Failing to control company information can evidently result in monumental problems, and that is why it becomes pivotal to reassess your current level of protection due to the trend of employees bringing their own devices to the workplace.
So, why will BYOD push data into the cloud? In the era of BYOD and ‘work anywhere’ computing, cloud storage offers the least resource intensive and the most cost-effective method of securing data. This is especially beneficial for the SMB market, as they lack the budget and IT staff to effectively deal with data storage and management in this changing environment. In the past, there was a big debate for storing data locally, as it gave individuals the ability to access it while being offline. Nonetheless, this need is diminishing rapidly by the day, as Wi-Fi connectivity seems to be on offer pretty much everywhere. Not clear what WiFi has to do with this
In addition to this, the cloud-only model grants a greater degree of flexibility to data owners, which results in a better level of control. This is evidently highly beneficial in relation to the increase of BYOD. Data owners have the ability to edit and comment on content as and when necessary, and grant specific rights to view. As cloud computing has advanced greatly over the past few years, you now have the ability to benefit from security compliance solutions and document control. Thus, you can keep certain people within the business from visiting particular web-based sources. Traditional data storage focuses on the device, whilst cloud computing actually centres around protecting the data itself, which is of paramount importance when more and more devices are being brought into the fold.
To conclude, there is no denying the fact that more and more employees are going to bring their devices into the workplace. This is a trend that will not be reversed. Therefore, as a company, it is your duty to adapt to it if you are to remain efficient and protect your pivotal data. Cloud computing offers the most effective method of doing so in today’s BYOD and ‘work anywhere’ computing environment.
