iPad: A Threat To Privacy in the Workplace? It is always a good thing to remember that before you sell your iPad, you must delete all personal records on your iDevice. However, your personal space might be threatened once you bring it to the office. In the US, companies allow employees access to company files, like corporate e-mails, on their personal mobile devices. However, most employees do not know that they are giving the company a chance to take a look at their personal space, because the company can see almost everything on your personal device. Moreover, the company can easily erase them all if you, in some way or another, lost your device or, at the very least, left your gadget at the office.
How Can They? How can the company access your personal files on your iPad? Well, it is very easy. Once you get access to company resources such as mail, you also open a door for the IT manager to enter your device, as explained by the director of marketing at Fiberlink (a company that creates management solutions for gadgets in the workplace), Jonathan Dale. It is advisable that you always think that the “Bring your own device” (BYOD) rule is a gateway for your work life to merge with your personal life. How? Think of the way you still respond to work-related emails at midnight. The iPad becomes an open door for the company to enter your home electronically. According to Nitin Bhas, a senior analyst at Junoper Research, said, “BYOD is actually blurring the line separating business devices from consumer devices. This consumerization of business devices reflects the change in consumer attitudes toward bringing in their own devices to the work place.” And that will continue as more devices permeate the market and younger users enter the workplace. Juniper said that the number of gadgets used by employees at work will increase to 350 million by 2014, from nearly 150 million in 2012.
It is still a mystery, however that companies allow employees to use their personal gadgets to send reports, set meetings and create documents. Yes, whenever employees access corporate files through their iPads it will increase productivity and service, but then again, it also gives the company the opportunity for espionage, security breaches and other legal challenges. Bhas added, “BYOD is an inevitable trend today, but from the security point of view, it is considered an insecure policy (that) could damage a company’s reputation and business.”
Use of Personal Gadgets Rises According to a Forrester Research study, 70% of North American companies have mobile-device management. Only 8% support all personal devices. Forrester principal analyst, Chenxi Wang explained: “The general trend is that more and more companies are embracing it as a standard practice across the company or as a limited experiment.” Of course, if the device is company-owned, the employee must understand that when you use it, you are going to give up your privacy, even e-mails and other messages that have been deleted. Breaches do not end there. Think of it this way: Your boss can see everything you do by looking at your photos on your gadget, and even read your text messages. Your boss will know that you did not go to work not because you were sick, but because you went on a date, by looking at your GPS record. Everything you put inside that device is like a diary entry, and your diary is open for your IT manager to read. You need to keep in mind that when you consent to use your company’s systems, like their Wi-Fi or email connections, then you must not expect privacy or confidentiality. If you can’t handle this, you should just sell used iPad. Article Source: http://cashforipadsblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/ipad-a-threat-to-privacy-in-theworkplace/