In this article, you will discover:
- What is SOC 2 and BYOD
- Risks associated with BYOD
- BYOD security best practices in SOC 2
- BYOD tools and which one should you use
What is SOC 2?
SOC 2 (stands for Systems and Organization Controls 2) is a compliance standard developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) in 2010, providing guidelines for service organizations to protect customer data from unauthorized access, security incidents or vulnerabilities.
It defines requirements to manage and store customer data based on five Trust Services Criteria (TSC):
- Security
- Availability
- Processing integrity
- Confidentiality
- Privacy
SOC 2 is an attestation-based standard where an organization can assert the existence of certain controls, which need to be subsequently verified by a third-party auditor. It’s worth emphasizing that SOC 2 is not a compulsory security framework, because it doesn’t prescribe specific best practices, so technically, there is no official “SOC 2 Certification” – only an attestation report.
More information about SOC 2 can be found in this article.
What is BYOD?
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is an IT policy that permits employees to use their personal mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, to access company data and systems. This trend has rapidly gained traction, particularly with the surge in remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic. BYOD offers employees greater flexibility, enhances job satisfaction, and saves cost for organizations.
What are the risks of BYOD?
While BYOD policies can offer cost savings and boost employees’ satisfaction, they can also come with various challenges that need to be addressed proactively to protect your business data. Being aware of these challenges enables organizations to address them effectively, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of their BYOD initiatives.
BYOD presents multiple risks:
- Shadow IT: Employees may use unauthorized hardware or software without IT department oversight, such as unapproved USB drives or consumer-grade software, potentially increasing security vulnerabilities.
- Lack of Uniformity: Employee devices can have varied operating systems (iOS, Android, ChromeOS, etc), which can complicate collaboration and management efforts.
- Data Leaks: Misuse of information by employees or device theft can lead to data breaches.
- Malware: Increased exposure to malware due to the absence of control over the applications installed by employees on their personal devices.
- Compliance Violations: Non-compliance with privacy laws like GDPR or healthcare regulations such as HIPAA can result in loss of trust and hefty fines. Storing sensitive data on personal devices also poses risks like inadequate security and accidental sharing. Additional details regarding GDPR and HIPAA compliance can be found here and here.
- Legal Issues: Unauthorized searches of employee devices for company data can raise legal concerns, including privacy rights, accidental removal of personal data, and handling of company data seized by law enforcement. Failure to address these issues through clear BYOD policies can lead to legal disputes and significant expenses for the company.
BYOD Security for SOC 2
While not mandatory in SOC 2, implementing a robust BYOD security policy is a best practice under the Security criterion. There are some technical tools available to help organizations achieve BYOD best practices:
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
One of the most commonly employed BYOD solutions is Mobile Device Management (MDM), which focuses solely on mobile devices and their security. Key features include:
- Zero-Touch Enrollment: Devices get enrolled with MDM as soon as they are activated.
- Device Configurations: MDM software can disable copy-paste, screenshot capture, clipboard, Bluetooth, removable media, and other wireless sharing features. Furthermore, administrators can block unapproved file-sharing apps to restrict data sharing.
- Device and Data Security: MDM tools can enforce various security measures, such as encryption, using strong passwords, user authentication and so on, to safeguard the device and its data.
- Remote Device Locking, Wiping, and Maintenance: Lost or stolen devices can be locked and wiped remotely. Device updates and troubleshooting can also be done over the air.
- Containerization: create secure “containers” for corporate data & apps separate from personal data, with data encryption & authorization.
- Policy Enforcement: Companies can pre-determine configurations, restrictions and applications and mass-deploy these policies on multiple devices, streamlining device management.
- Location Tracking: Administrators can view the current location as well as historical location data of devices.
- Application and Content Management: MDM facilitates centralized management of all mobile content, ensuring applications are consistently updated and readily accessible to employees as needed.
- Audit & Compliance Reporting: MDM can provide automated loggings, compliance reporting and dashboards to track device compliance with security frameworks like SOC 2 and organizational policies.
For a more comprehensive understanding of MDM, please see this article.
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
EMM is an expansion of MDM, offering a wider range of functionalities and capabilities.
- Scope:
- Covers the entire mobile ecosystem within an organization, including application, content and identity management.
- Explicitly designed for managing apps and content on mobile devices, not suitable for MAC or Windows management.
- Key EMM features: EMM solutions encompass all MDM features and some additions:
- Mobile application management (MAM) focuses mainly on managing applications. It allows for distribution, security, updating and configuring of software running on mobile devices.
- Mobile content management (MCM) enables secure access to corporate content and data on all endpoints. It can push, access, store, and distribute content from the company’s internal repository in a secure manner.
- Identity and access management (IAM) facilitates user authentication and enforces policy-based rights and permissions. It enables IT teams to categorize users into groups, each group having predefined permissions and restrictions.
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
UEM combines the capabilities of both MDM and EMM solutions while introducing advanced features to offer holistic monitoring, management, and security for all endpoints.
- Scope:
- Manages other endpoints beyond mobile devices, including PCs, rugged devices, IoT devices, wearables, etc through a single console.
- Key UEM features: UEM solutions include MDM and EMM functionalities and some additions:
- Centralized management console, with complete visibility into the IT environment and on any asset
- Software and OS deployment: Enables automated deployment of software and operating systems across the organization’s network from a central console, limiting manual intervention.
- Patch management and update installation: Automatically scans endpoints for software or vulnerabilities and applies patches swiftly to fix vulnerabilities across all network endpoints.
- Threat detection and mitigation: Integrates with Endpoint Detection And Response (EDR) and other security technologies to identify abnormal device behaviors indicative of ongoing or potential threats, triggering appropriate security actions.
- Seamless integration with other tools: Integrates effortlessly with helpdesk software, productivity and collaboration tools for enhanced efficiency and a unified IT environment.
Which BYOD solution is right for your business?
Choosing between Mobile Device Management (MDM), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), or Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) depends on several factors, including business requirements, device management, security needs, integration, and cost considerations.
When to Choose MDM: MDM is ideal for businesses with relatively simple IT systems but a large fleet of mobile devices requiring ongoing management. Educational institutions and small businesses managing mobile devices for basic tasks benefit from MDM’s cost-effectiveness and simplicity.
When to Choose EMM: EMM suits environments with diverse devices and operating systems (iOS, Android, Linux, ChromeOS). It offers advanced application and content management features suitable for organizations with specialized applications and sensitive data, like mid-sized financial services firms.
When to Choose UEM: UEM is the ultimate solution for managing any endpoint, real or virtual, regardless of device or operating system. It’s ideal for businesses with large and growing device landscapes, distributed workforces, and stringent security requirements. UEM offers scalability, adaptability, and future-proofing capabilities, making it a top choice for organizations undertaking digital transformations.
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