What We’re Reading: Week of 1/21

CIO – IT Decision-Makers says Embrace BYOD or Be Left Behind
Dark Reading – Avoiding IAM’s Biggest Blunder
Network World – Are federal agency workers going rogue with personal devices?
SearchEnterpriseWAN – Preparing for a disaster: When remote employees overload your VPN

What We’re Reading: Week of 12/31

CSO – Could China blocking VPNs lead to spying on business?
IT Business Edge – BYOD in 2013: Yes, It Is Going to Get Worse
Ars Technica – IPv6 takes one step forward, IPv4 two steps back in 2012
eWeek – Targeted Attacks, Weak Passwords Top IT Security Risks in 2012

Readers’ Poll: What Solutions Should Lead the Charge for Enhanced Network Security in 2013?

2012 has been quite the year for the mobile security industry. We’ve seen bring your own device (BYOD) come to the forefront of discussions, both in terms of its benefits and threats to network security. We’ve seen multiple strands of different trojans and malware that cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. Microsoft released Windows 8, thus sparking the debate over exclusively relying on DirectAccess in lieu of virtual private networks (VPNs). As a result of these major trends, we’re beginning to see industry-wide recognition that simple password protection is no longer sufficient. Rather, such techniques as split tunneling, two-factor authentication, and encryption offer safer ways to access corporate networks remotely. So we want to know, given the growing spotlight on threats to remote access, what solutions do you think should lead the charge for enhanced network security in the coming year? As always, feel free to elaborate in the comments.

What We’re Reading: Week of 12/17

CNET – Four security trends defined 2012, will impact 2013
eWeek – BYOD, Social Media Among Top Security Threats of 2013
CSO – The week in security: Attacks continue; are you ready for 2013?
IT Business Edge – How to Approach Mobile Security in 2013

What are the Biggest Risks of BYOD?

*Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in TechTarget’s SearchEnterpriseWAN.com.

Question: Our remote workers are entering the workplace with their own mobile devices and want to connect to our corporate resources. I want to allow them to do this, but before I do, I want to know the biggest risks of BYOD.

The biggest risks for enterprises that allow bring your own device (BYOD) environments are control and privacy. Deploying and enforcing security controls is typically more difficult on personal devices for two reasons. First, ownership of the device establishes a control mentality from the owner’s point of view. Second, restrictions on personal data or content, in general, are more difficult to argue from a BYOD policy standpoint. The most critical aspect is that companies must ensure they observe the protection of the users’ personal identifiable information (PII).