BYOD (bring your own device) is a policy that is becoming more welcomed in corporate and startup companies as Millenials are seen as policy trend-setters.

A BYOD policy means as stated — bring your own device (or laptop). We usually see that companies provide employees with PC’s and sometimes even work phones, but as freelancing and remote work is becoming the new normal, office staff tends to shy away from company-provided technology stating it to be inefficient and sometimes even not up-to-date.

While employees are implementing new trends, business heads have to keep up and provide correct policies to keep both sides happy. BYOD policies vary in flexibility, but one thing is for sure, some action needs to be taken to make sure that BYOD policies do not cause any recurring issues.

That “Action” can be a VPN, for those who have not had the pleasure to run into a VPN, it is a security software tool, meant to secure your connection and make sure you are anonymous while browsing online. Why is this needed? To make sure all personal and work-related data stays discrete and unreachable to cybercriminals. You might be wondering what a VPN and a BYOD policy have in common, well, a VPN can be implemented into a BYOD policy to help maintain business network security, which makes security threats less of an issue.

The main pros and cons of a BYOD policy

Before implementing any new policy in the workplace, you have to go over the pros and cons, and figure out how a policy will run effectively.

Pros

Of course, a BYOD policy is not suitable for all business models, as it is designed to fit the needs of employees that usually travel or work remotely and eventually, out of convenience, merge their personal and work laptops into one device.

From the company’s point-of-view, implementing a BYOD policy means saving money on equipment and maintenance. This also means, leaving it up to employees to choose which laptop providers suites their needs best (a constant battle of Mac/iOS vs. Android/Windows) and updating devices when and how preferred.

Cons

Now, there are numerous cons when it comes to BYOD policies, but the key is to know what tools to use to better the policy and user experience.

The main disadvantages fall on the company, as vastly different devices cause problems when wanting to install and maintain business-related software. Some devices do not support all software tools, and there might be trouble with installation, as IT support usually doesn’t have access to personal devices.

There is also a vast BYOD security risk. Personal devices can’t ensure continuous security features and conditions because BYOD policy devices are usually used for personal and work-related reasons. Information and data leakage becomes a possibility and major concern. Also, a personal device that has no security tools installed can be easily hacked through public wifi, in places where remote work enthusiasts usually situate themselves.

How does a VPN go hand in had with BYOD policies?

As mentioned, a BYOD policy requires the correct maintenance tools to make sure the policy works effectively. As the policy is most appealing for employees that rarely work in the office, the most significant risk for the company becomes data leaks. To prevent this, the most common tool used is a VPN (virtual private network) often through as a corporate business solution, even though it’s perfect for any SMB.

Speaking in simple terms, a business VPN solution encrypts your data, making it unreachable for third-party intruders. Turning on a VPN and choosing a server makes sure that your IP address is masked and online anonymity is guaranteed. A business VPN can be handy in situations when employees use their own devices in and out of the office. It also offers easy maintenance, for example, NordVPN Teams offers one managing control panel through which accounts can be managed remotely, all business owners have to do is choose a VPN plan and give all BYOD policy staff accounts access.

Having a VPN operate as one of the BYOD policies eliminates the higher risk of data leaks, which makes it safer for a company to fully implement a policy like this, giving employees the correct tools to work safely and effectively.