According to ZD Net, in 2015, 74 percent of businesses were already allowing or planning to allow employees to bring their own devices to work. This trend, called Bring Your Own Device, reflects our increasing dependence on our devices. BYOD is popular not only because of this fact, but also because it can lead to a boost in employee productivity. If employees have the ability to do work on their personal devices, they will, even outside of the normal confines of the workplace.
While business owners may be happy about this fact, they should think twice before instating a rule-free BYOD policy. Many businesses and organizations, such as hospitals, have very sensitive patient data stored within their systems. If that information is leaked, there could be serious legal and ethical ramifications. Hospitals that let employees bring in their devices must set up precautions so that hacks and leaks do not occur.
Here are five ways that hospitals and other organizations can protect themselves while still allowing employees to use their phones, tablets, smart watches and other devices for work.
1. Encrypt data
If hackers break into employees’ devices, they will be able to see all of their data. However, if hospitals require that employees encrypt the data being sent to and received from their devices, they will be much more protected. Data encryption scrambles the information, and makes it readable only if someone knows a password to get into a file. The IT department at the hospital can show employees how to do this on their devices—it can be as simple as creating a strong passcode—to ensure that the data stays safe and secure.
2. Use WPA2-AES Wi-Fi
When setting up the router and Wi-Fi network, hospitals should always choose the WPA2-AES option, which is offered on most new routers. It guarantees that data sent over the Wi-Fi network will be strongly encrypted so that hackers cannot see what is being sent to and from every device. Hospitals should require employees to sign onto this Wi-Fi and not use any other network.
3. Create complicated passwords
It’s also crucial to come up with strong passwords that cannot be easily guessed. The IT team should encourage employees to do this on their own devices and accounts, and the hospital needs to put passwords on important data as well as the Wi-Fi network. Unique passwords should be used for every single account, and they cannot contain personal information. They need to include a variation of letters, symbols and numbers as well to make them harder to figure out.
4. Educate employees about public Wi-Fi
Public, unprotected Wi-Fi is notoriously unsafe. Hackers can easily steal someone’s information by looking at all the accounts he or she is logged into and taking their data. Hospitals must educate employees about the dangers of logging onto Wi-Fi that is not password-protected. If employees do this, they must have some sort of encryption on their devices and not visit websites that lack encryption themselves. Some browsers, like Google Chrome, will alert users when sites are not safe to visit.
5. Require encrypted email usage
When employees are at work and using the Wi-Fi, they should not be able to log onto their personal emails, because these platforms are susceptible to hacking. Instead, the hospital should provide an encrypted email service. This service should not store emails that are years old, because a hacker can access a plethora of information about the hospitals and patients that way. The service also shouldn’t allow large files to be emailed. This prevents a hacker from stealing a ton of information and emailing it to him or herself.
BYOD is making life easier, but also less safe, for everybody. Hospitals need to be vigilant about their policies to ensure that their sensitive data does not get into the wrong hands.
Kylie Ora Lobell is a business and legal writer who writes for The Home Depot. She provides smart business advice about handling technology for employees and updating policies and procedures. Visit The Home Depot to find the many wireless routers options for businesses they offer.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Becker’s Hospital Review/Becker’s Healthcare. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.
