The New World of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) -- Good for Your Company?

BYOD is a concept that is rapidly gaining steam throughout the IT business industry. By “gaining steam” I mean two things. It could reference the cartoon-like explosion of hot gaseous vapor from a person’s ears due to incessant aggravation; or it could simply be defined as an increase in positive momentum. The notion is rudimentary and obvious, almost intuitive: Should employees utilize their personal devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) to complete work-related tasks while on the clock? Though the idea may be basic, the answer is a bit more complicated.

I recently stumbled across an article describing data loss horror stories from 2011. The most disastrous occurrence described a server being struck by lightning, subsequently set on fire, and incurring water damage from the fire department’s attempt to extinguish the fire. Amazingly, the provider was able to recover all of the data from the charred servers because the company had their data backed up through a cloud service as part of their disaster recovery. Unfortunately, not everyone has a back up recovery plan or is subscribed to a cloud provider who can restore data after such a detrimental disaster. Choosing the right provider who offers the right services is a matter of patience, rationale, meticulousness, and a little bit of common sense.

When it comes to cloud security, one of the most popular features offered by providers is security auditing.  Security audits are what a provider uses as a method of inspecting and maintaining a company’s internal controls, which consist of policies, procedures, and safeguards. The renowned audit, SAS 70 type II, was conceived in 1992 and has since evolved to form SSAE 16. Though both of these audits are commonplace in the security realm, like most other features they do not come without disadvantages that need to be addressed and weighed against advantages by the person or company utilizing the audits.

Going green is not just a movement; it is a standard of living. In recent years, the intertwined ideas of going green and reducing carbon footprints have been elevated far above a personal level to that of a state and federal level. There are constant talks and pushes for reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing research and applications for renewable energies. After all, nobody wants gas prices to remain in their current price range and nobody likes a litter bug. With all of the attempts to make our physical world a “greener” place, it seems pertinent to do the same thing in the cloud.