Small and medium-sized businesses are often conducting daily operations on-the-go. Cell phones, tablets and laptop computers can help owners in a variety of ways. Whether it's placing orders or communicating with customers, technological innovations are now the norm.
Many large corporations have adopted bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, to account for employees transporting information to and from the office. However, such security measures should not be forgotten by any business, regardless of its size.
A report released last week by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General's office found that 14,000 commercial mobile devices used at the U.S. Military Academy and the United States Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center are not up to par.
Shawn McCarthy, research director for IDC Government Insights, explained in an interview with the technology and business blog CSO that it is not uncommon for organizations to misunderstand what BYOD entails. Rules need to be put in place that dictate which devices can be used and how employees connect their personal phone or computer to a secure network.
"They're just realizing that this is happening and are trying to find a way to control the chaos of it," he said. "DOD has the advantage of being able to give orders and be much more strict about which devices are allowed."
The same way that businesses owners must fine tune a BYOD policy to keep information safe, they must also find a comprehensive insurance policy. Should a cyber attack occur, or an employee lose a mobile device that has sensitive information, a company needs to ensure that it can make a full recovery.
The right technology insurance policy can ease the often high expenses that come with a data breach. With so many companies becoming reliant on computer systems, it is a necessity for cyber security measures to be put into effect as well.