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February 15, 2023 by Haddayr Copley-Woods

Misconceptions about mobile BYOD

Worried about what Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) might mean for your organization . . . or yourself? Read on to see us debunk some common myths about BYOD.

What is BYOD?

According to Zippia, 75% of employees use their personal cell phones for work.

A BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program allows employers to offer a “bring your own phone” (or laptop, or tablet) to work option— wherever that work might be.

That’s where Jamf can help. Jamf BYOD provides organizations the ability to manage and secure corporate apps, resources, data, and business connections— while protecting employee privacy.

Worried about BYOD issues?

You aren’t alone. Until recently, company device management has been complete. Most users are only aware of MDMs that fully manage devices, and it’s sometimes difficult to wrap your mind around a device that is only partially managed.

You may worry about an inability to use common apps, or that the company’s mobile device security might slow your machine. IT might be worried about being unable to push necessary device/app configurations out to employee-owned devices.

Although it’s easy to see how some of these myths got started, with the right BYOD plan in place most of these worries are unfounded.

Let’s put those worries to rest!

Myth: BYOD allows company control of your device.

Myth busted: a good BYOD solution such as Jamf BYOD completely segments a device so that what is business stays business, and what is personal stays personal. Employee devices are partitioned into two containers (called “volumes” when it’s an Apple), and employers only manage the work volume side— with no ability to interact with the personal volume.

With Apple products in particular, the ability to separate mobile devices into two volumes is built right in. Personal privacy is a top priority for Apple, and a top priority for Jamf.

Myth: Mobile BYOD means organizations can access personal data.

Myth busted: nope! Data, as well as apps, keystrokes, and any other digital forms are kept strictly in one volume or another: work and personal. While an employee’s tech works and acts like one cohesive device, they can’t even copy and paste between personal and work sides. Users can even take a close look at the configuration settings and controls before they accept them, and they can remove the device from enrollment when they wish.

Myth: it’s difficult to enroll BYOD devices.

Myth busted: Not with Jamf! Apple’s User Enrollment combined with Jamf BYOD (specifically designed to work with it) makes the process smooth and straightforward:

  1. Users enroll their personal device into Jamf Pro with a few simple clicks.
  2. Users receive a second phone number designated for work purposes, on the work-related volume only.
  3. Employers offer apps and access designed for the specific employee after enrollment, and through Self Service employees can download any additional apps they need on their own.

See how simple BYOD can be with Apple and Jamf.

Myth: There are some serious BYOD security risks.

Myth busted: employers can secure company data, access and apps using Jamf Trust, and our Trusted Access model. This solution ensures devices are:

  • Protected from inbound threats
  • Compliant with a company's security baselines
  • Able to report their activity to security analytics tools

Myth: BYOD puts an increased burden on IT.

Myth busted: in fact, administrators using Jamf Pro will experience little difference between managing employee-owned and company-owned devices. Jamf Pro manages all of them in the same way (on the right side of the machine), and Jamf Connect and Protect encrypt connections and protect company data and apps through the same interface.

So what should a BYOD program be?

BYOD solutions should bring the right balance of usability, security and privacy to personally-owned mobile devices used for work.

For these devices, organizations can manage and secure only the portion of the device that is used for work.

Jamf can securely power your BYOD program while also respecting personal privacy.

Discover how Jamf device management can help your organization.

Request a free trial.

Photo of Haddayr Copley-Woods
Haddayr Copley-Woods
Jamf
Haddayr Copley-Woods is a senior copywriter at Jamf. She writes about tech, specializing in Apple and Jamf with a focus on education, accessibility and security.
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