The trend of employees using their own electronic devices at work (or BYOD for short) is catching on in both businesses and in government organizations. However, there are certainly some concerns about security in these matters, especially now in the wake of Edward Snowden leaking information from the NSA.

This week, the UK government issued guidelines for departments that would allow its employees to bring their own smartphones and tablets to work. The rules govern a wide range of operating systems, including Microsoft's Windows 7, 8 and RT along with Windows Phone 8. The rules also cover Android 4.2, iOS 6, BlackBerry 10.1, OS X 10.8, Chrome OS 26 and Ubuntu 12.04.

The rules that cover Windows 7 and 8 BYOD products will allow employees to access email, create, edit and view documents and access their department's intranet and Internet resources. The chart above shows the recommended "walled garden" for IT workers to follow in setting up BYOD devices. All such products must be returned to their factory settings before they can be allowed to be used at work, according to the guidelines.

The new rules are current in draft form and may change slightly before they reach their final version.

Source: UK.gov via Computer Weekly | Image via UK.gov