Enterprise mobility management is an integral part of secure and compliant handling of protected health information and company data. Having coherent and efficient policies requires data management tools that can be adapted to changing work environments and devices. Balancing security and compliance with the efficiency of resources and convenience for employees is a difficult but fruitful task.
Enterprise mobility management is a conceptual step beyond mobile device management in that it also integrates applications, information and user experience to form a more comprehensive toolkit that allows everyday practices to match up with written policies. This has the additional advantage of facilitating communication between those in management responsible for authoring policies, and those in IT in charge of making sure they are adhered to and end users whose experience and requirements are sought and explicitly spelled out. The scope of devices and applications available to those devices is always evolving, so it is important that the implemented policies and tools are flexible enough to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. In my experience, there is often a disconnect between policy, expectation and implementation. If employees are expected to respond during non-work hours, or are in the field frequently for their job role, then the ability to securely access information is vital. Allowing users to bring their own devices adds convenience, but also a second layer of complexity in securing data.
More and more companies are instituting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, which is when staff are encouraged to use their own personal mobile devices instead of IT department issued devices. There can be substantial benefits of allowing employees to BYOD:
Increased Staff Satisfaction – Most staff are happy that they can use the devices they are comfortable with and that they selected – their own – as opposed to a device the IT department decided they should utilize. Another plus is the elimination of staff having to carry multiple phones or devices.If your organization allows BYOD, you should be well versed in your company’s BYOD policy. Most BYOD policies include provisions for exiting staff and device loss. This may include the organization’s ability to wipe the employee’s entire mobile device.
There are solutions for all of these issues and while there is a movement toward centralizing all components, it is important to select tools that are most effective and efficient in targeting areas that most impact operations and security. Selecting applications that can be utilized on many platforms, and that allow ease of access to information for users while storing a minimal amount of data on devices is crucial. Having the ability to isolate, encrypt and control any private data on personal devices is a must. It is also important to apply the same policies regardless of device platform. If multiple platforms are allowed, it is important to make sure the tools exist to secure each platform as well as ensuring that support staff are proficient in working across platforms. In the case of BYOD, it is critical that the tool selected be able to remove company assets immediately and completely in the event of termination or device loss. Considering all these aspects while creating policy instead of letting existing practices dictate policies leads to an effective, efficient and secure enterprise mobility management strategy.
If you are interested in how to transition to BYOD policies or create an effective Enterprise Mobility Management Strategy, contact Afia today at (734) 418-8162 for more information.
Phone: (734) 787-9791 | Email: thom@afiahealth.com
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