The policy should clearly communicate to the employee what would trigger the company to completely wipe the device remotely. These measures should be carefully considered, such as if it makes sense to completely wipe a person’s own device if he/she leaves the company or is terminated. Toms advises, “In the event of termination, all company data should be remotely deleted from the device. There should be proper documentation that this policy was given to the employee.” Likewise, expectations must be set for the employee to report to the company if the device is lost or stolen.
Additionally, your BYOD policy must specify who is responsible for recurring fees. At Lotpath, for example, employees are provided a monthly expense reimbursement for business use of their personal devices. Based upon his experience, Dodson finds employees are often at risk of depleting their cellular carrier data plan allowances when using their personal device for business purposes. He strongly suggests a company’s BYOD policy “address data plan usage and the allowance or reimbursement schedule.”
Finally, the IT manager should review the BYOD policy with any employees who desire to use their own device for business reasons. Business owners are also encouraged to consult with their human resources and legal team for advice about requiring employees to sign a BYOD policy, or incorporating it into their overall employee handbook.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy Snippets
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a BYOD policy employees are required to sign. Following are policy excerpts you may find useful.
The following modifications may be made to your mobile device:
• Installation and configuration of necessary software, including security software, such as a VPN client, upon employee request
• Implementation of remote erase capabilities, which will give NAR the ability to completely erase your mobile device if necessary
• Set the mobile device to lock after ten failed login attempts.You must immediately notify the company:
• If your mobile device is lost or stolen
• When you stop using the mobile device
• When you give notice or terminate your employment.If remote erasing is deemed necessary, the company will attempt to only erase NAR data, but reserves the right to completely erase the contents of your mobile device, which will result in the loss of any personal information (e.g., contacts, photos, music).
Unless eligible for and on a corporate plan, NAR is not responsible for payment of any portion of your mobile device service contract or for your mobile device.
Source: National Association of Realtors.
