Maintaining Security in a Mobile Workforce
Every day, employees are using their own devices to work. Whether they are answering calls on their cell phones, emailing from their tablets, or sharing corporate files on their public cloud accounts from their laptops while sitting in coffee shops. The fact is that more people are working remote, using readily available tools to complete assignments, and attempting new ways to be more efficient at their jobs. One way organizations are dealing with this is by implementing different types of bring your own device (BYOD) programs. While some might feel this is not ideal, it is a step in the right direction because it provides some type of resolution. According to Rex Carter, executive vice president and chief information officer for Hitachi Data Systems, companies have two choices: “Corporate leaders can either embrace BYOD for their organizations or ban it. Doing nothing, however, is probably not an option.”
THE CHALLENGES OF WORKFORCE MOBILITY – Most executives understand by now that if you want to grow, your organization has to embrace change, and mobilizing your workforce is one of the most practical solutions you can implement to stay competitive.
Of course, there are quite a few obstacles to tackling this kind of project-it’s not nearly as glamorous as it first sounds. From encouraging collaboration among employees to keeping projects on task and continuing to meet deadlines, IT needs to have a data mobility strategy for how they will resolve the issues before they happen or even avoid them altogether. When tackling your mobile workforce data strategy, consider these challenges and make a plan for how to resolve them:
- Securing mobile devices
- Governing data
- Protecting intellectual property
- Defining employee termination/exit procedures
THE BENEFITS OF WORKFORCE MOBILITY – While it’s not as easy as it first sounds, introducing programs to mobilize a workforce are great for cultivating innovation and opening up new opportunities for growth. The pros outweigh the cons in regards to this solution especially since we now have tools, like Hitachi’s Content Platform (HCP) Anywhere, to make this transition easier.
When you allow your employees to work remote, you are:
- Saving money – Whether it’s electricity, office space, or computing hardware, there is a real cost savings.
- Increasing morale – Allowing employees the flexibility and freedom to work from home (or wherever), lets them know you trust them and their ability to successfully manage their own workload.
- Opening up to a larger talent pool – If employees can work remote, you can literally choose from anyone-in the state, in the country, or even the world. You will only be limited by the nature of your industry.
ONE APPROACH TO WORKFORCE MOBILITY – Hitachi once struggled to find an enterprise-class system that would integrate with their existing environment, support all operating systems and devices, and be widely accepted by their mobilized workforce. After searching long and hard and still not finding what would meet their needs, they made it their mission to build a solution that would do all this while still securing all their data.
The result was their HCP Anywhere, an on premise solution designed for secure file sharing and content distribution that can improve end-user productivity while maintaining corporate control, management, and protection of data. It empowers IT teams to deliver their own mobility solution through:
- Access-controlled links that synchronize user files and folders to multiple devices for internal or external sharing
- Simplifying administration with self-service mobile device management
- Simple to deploy; intuitive for end users and works with your existing IT investments, practices and policies
HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION – DSN Group’s experience with Hitachi solutions, specifically HCP Anywhere, will make your transition that much easier. Please call DSN Group at 888.445.2919 to discuss your mobile workforce needs.
DSN Group has the knowledge and ability to identify and support your unique infrastructure. Call us to learn more about how we can help mobilize your workforce!
Do you currently allow your employees to work remote? how do you ensure your organizations data is secure? Do you have any experience with BYOD programs?