BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) adoption has been on the rise over the last couple of years as more manufacturers and mobile operating systems gain popularity in the smartphone and tablet spaces. While BYOD is an employee-pleasing policy, it can be a pain for the IT department as it leads to higher costs and can even pose a significant security risk.

A recent blog post from Plixer International (News - Alert), a provider of NetFlow and sFlow network analysis tools, came out in defense of BYOD with the simple mantra of "Trust but Verify." In other words, corporations have to trust employees to behave responsibly, but should still ensure, with regularity, that BYOD policies are being observed.

Of course, a written corporate BYOD policy must first be created. Obviously, there is no universal policy as usage and terms should differ from company to company, but there are a few key components that should go hand in hand with any BYOD policy, according to the NetFlow provider.

First, have employees review and sign a BYOD Acceptable Use Policy (BYOD AUP). Second, ensure that all devices have the remote wipe capability to protect confidential information. Third, create and authorize a list of devices, to which employees can submit a request to add devices. Fourth, incorporate policies regarding MiFi access at the office; users shouldn't use a MiFi to bypass corporate access controls. Lastly, verify that all devices are set to auto-lock and that data is encrypted if necessary.

A good BYOD AUP is only worth anything if employees are aware of it and as such, it's necessary to ensure everyone is knowledgeable in regards to its limits and functionality. One way to do this is to setup classes to review BYOD AUP, even making attendance necessary before providing an employee with device authorization. Also, make it clear that their device is subject to search, even if it is a personal device because it is a business device once confidential information is stored within it. Lastly, BYOD education should warn against weak lock codes such as "1234."

With an acceptable use policy drawn up and employees well educated of its terms, there is still one important step to ensure BYOD security and it's the most important one: verification. There are a number of ways to ensure that employees are following the rules and that devices are behaving, and a number of technologies to suit each company's situation. NetFlow or IPFIX-based network security monitoring, for example, is an excellent choice for NAC 2.0 deployments, but again, different solutions may work better or worse in different situations.

BYOD may seem like a hassle, but as adoption increases, solutions supporting the policy will become more widely available as well. Until the perfect BYOD solution comes along, however, "Trust but Verify" is an excellent mindset to adopt.

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