PhoneTalk

There’s been a lot of coverage lately about the idea of giving employees the opportunity to use their own mobile devices in the workforce. Many businesses are becoming more and more mobile with many employees working offsite, after hours, or even from home a couple days a month. One reason is the type of mobile devices available to consumers that allow them to easily keep in touch virtually at any time of day. In particular, smartphones and tablets. These products offer users a way to easily keep tabs on e-mail, view and edit documents, and even access a desktop computer remotely.

The question being raised is “Should employees use their personal smartphones and tablets to access corporate data?” As is the answer with many mobile questions it depends on multiple factors: type of business, type of data, IT department rules, and of course the vulnerability of the product being used. Last month, Wall Street Journal ran an article, Should Employess Be Able to Use Their Own Device for Work and brought both sides of the issue to light. Both arguments for and against bring your own device to work have merits.

That said, it’s important to look at the individual device and user when making a decision. Many smartphones have multiple ways to lock a phone whether it’s creating a pattern on an Android phone or selecting a password that must be typed in on a BlackBerry. That speaks to privacy. What about losing a device that has access to corporate data? There are plenty of options available for locking a device or even remotely wiping a device. That functionality is even built-in to Windows Phone 7. Even if a device that has corporate data access on it gets accidentally left behind in a car, by using such a feature the data isn’t really at risk.

Since this topic has many shades of gray perhaps the best solution is one where a company’s IT department works closely with employees to ensure that only pertinent work data is being accessed (e-mail, maybe a few documents) and that it’s being done securely. They could also help employees select products that can support safety-centric features such as remotely wiping a device, password protection, and even an option to find a lost phone.

Let us know what you think of this topic by leaving a comment below. Do you want to use your own cell phone or tablet to access work e-mail or would you rather have two separate devices one for work and one for fun?

Topics: BlackBerry Smart phones Business Use Android Tablets Phones