Last week, we talked about the some of the challenges associated with the use of consumer mobile devices in business. This week we wanted to dig a little deeper into what exactly these challenges are. In a recent post for TechTarget, Michelle Boisvert outlines where the security risks come into play with BYOD and how they require a strong cloud strategy:

The Challenges

• Malware security: App store security is a growing concern among IT departments as users will download and access apps on both corporate and personal mobile devices.
• Employees: We’ve talked about employee liability before, when it comes to business software and device access. With BYOD, IT now has to address these same risks as they apply to mobile devices. In regard to mobile device security features, Boisvert cites that, “More than half of employees circumvent or disengage security features such as passwords and key locks.” With no safeguard, this means that company — as well as personal — data is instantly accessible to anyone who happens across, say, a lost phone in a taxi.
• Consumerization: BYOD security policies need to be automated. End-users do not want to feel that their personal devices are being heavily managed by IT.

The Solution

• Security and MDM as a service: Existing on-premises security services and solutions are not built to support mobile devices. However, cloud-based security and mobile device management services are. According to Boisvert, investing in cloud-based solutions “saves companies from investing in new servers, software, training and ongoing staff for maintenance.”

Employees are already using mobile devices for business purposes. Savvy IT departments recognize this and see the value in a cloud-first strategy to seamlessly and securely manage this access.