There are a range of challenges that come with allowing employees to use their own devices
Employees that bring their own devices to work can save companies money on a number of levels, cutting expenditure on everything from computing hardware to training programmes.
But while businesses have looked to take advantage of the opportunities opened up by the emerging BYOD trend, they have also had to take into account the new range of security and continuity issues that have emerged as a result.
Given the potential stumbling blocks when it comes to backing up files and implementing sufficient disaster recovery software on the personal devices of staff, one expert believes that recoverability and encryption are two factors that need to be carefully considered by companies that promote BYOD.
"Firstly look at recoverability – you need [data] to be backed up," said Andy Brewerton, country manager for the UK and Ireland at Evault.com. "One practicality to consider is that you’ve suddenly got a heterogeneous environment – it’s mixed, no longer just Macs or PCs, it’s a real mix of devices."
Indeed, with a wide variety of different platforms, measures that cater for the security of a range of devices may be most effective for businesses that allow workers to use their own hardware.
"One of the technical elements of this is you’ve got to look at how you’re actually backing up data," Mr Brewerton added.
As staff access sensitive information on everything from smartphones to tablets, secure online document storage could be one such way in which companies ensure files can only be used by workers who have the adequate clearance levels.
And if businesses do look to implement the BYOD trend as they attempt to save money in any way possible in the current economic climate, it seems that encrypting their data – as well as ensuring it can be easily recovered in the event of any disruptions – will be key to their successfully adopting the policy.