Policies that Every BYOD Strategy Needs to Abide By

One of the most effective means for a business to shave a few dollars off its budget (and potentially boost employee engagement, for that matter) is to adopt something called a Bring Your Own Device policy—effectively, an agreement that allows their team members to access business-owned documents and files on devices they personally own to get their work done. While these policies have been shown to be very effective, they also need to be carefully considered so they can be adopted appropriately.

Let’s take a few moments to review some practices that are recommended for a secure BYOD implementation.

Determine Acceptable Parameters

• Device and OS Requirements. For your productivity to remain intact and for your organizational security to be preserved, the tools your team brings to use need to meet the baselines that you set—otherwise, there is likely to be a shortcoming that leaves an opening. Certain workflows may require a specific operating system to be used, simply for the processes to be compatible. Keeping track of your team’s chosen hardware will help you determine if their devices are eligible to participate.
• Accepted Software. On the topic, your business workflows should have defined software solutions identified for your team to use so that processes can flow smoothly. Make sure your team knows that they are expected to use these titles for their work processes and that they are expected to have certain protections in place on their mobile devices before they can use them to work.
• Upkeep Policies. When using a personal device to access your business’ network, there needs to be some supported expectation that the user will ensure that the device remains functional and secure. This could mean that only authorized dealers or professionals are authorized to perform basic maintenance tasks and that these tasks are carried out promptly.

Security Preparations

• Encryption Policies. In terms of protecting your data from the prying eyes of hackers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more effective method than encrypting it. Considering this, it is important that you encourage/require encryption to be put in place as a part of any BYOD policies you implement.
• Password Standards. We know we know… the importance of secure passwords is a topic that has been covered frontways, backways, and every which way for a long time. However, once people start to follow these guidelines, we’ll stop bringing them up. When it comes to strong passwords, make sure your team is using them on all their devices, and that these devices are set to lock if an incorrect password is repeatedly entered.
• Data Handling Guidelines. Where your data is concerned, you need to also establish the proper means for it to be stored and accessed while an employee is using a personal device. Ideally, your BYOD plan will have the means to block any data transfers to an insecure device as well as establish the proper procedures for accessing this data.

Necessary Prerequisites

• Data Removal Circumstances. When an employee’s device has access to your company’s data via a BYOD strategy, it is critical that you retain the means to rescind that access as needed—like if a device is lost or stolen, or if an employee leaves the company. You may also want to include the right to review an employee’s device for company-owned data so that it can be removed if they were to leave so that your data isn’t brought elsewhere or abused.
• Lost or Stolen Device Procedures. On the topic, your team needs to have a reporting process to follow should something happen to their device that will help to ensure that mitigating actions can be appropriately taken. Reinforce that these reports need to be promptly submitted to help minimize the potential impact of such occurrences.
• Breach of Policy Consequences. Finally, you need to establish how employees will be reprimanded should these policies go unheeded or disregarded. While the loss of BYOD privileges is a common tactic, you should also seriously consider what is acceptable before an employee should be terminated. Once these distinctions have been made, share that information with your team when they opt into your BYOD implementation, so they are aware of the severity of such indiscretions.

A Bring Your Own Device policy is an essential piece of the modern office’s IT considerations and is something that we can help you out with in much more detail. Find out what needs to be done by calling 216-503-5150 today.

Steer clear of these mistakes when migrating to Microsoft 365

Migrating to Microsoft 365 is easy and simple, but if you’re not careful, you may find yourself facing problems that can keep you from getting the most out of this comprehensive suite of productivity tools. We’ve listed some of the common issues organizations encounter when migrating to Microsoft 365 and how you can avoid them.

Not having enough bandwidth

Migrating your files and systems over to Microsoft 365 requires a large amount of bandwidth, which can result in slower internet speeds during the migration process. If the migration is carried out during business hours, you and your employees might struggle to do tasks online, such as sending emails and holding video conferences. To avoid this problem, schedule the migration after regular business hours or on a weekend.

Also, if you are already noticing slow speeds and service interruptions before deploying Microsoft 365, note that these issues will likely get worse after implementation. This is because Microsoft 365 services require a large amount of bandwidth. Ask your internet service provider to check your existing network connection to ensure that it can handle the migration and the day-to-day operations of Microsoft 365.

Lack of end-user involvement and buy-in

User involvement is key to the success of any IT project, including migrating to Microsoft 365. Make sure your end users know what to expect during every stage of the migration process. For one, let them know how long migrating to Microsoft 365 will take and how it will affect their tasks. Starting the migration without informing users that their files and email will not be accessible during the process can lead to productivity loss and resentment toward the new platform.

And to ensure you get your employees’ buy-in, train them on how to use the new platform. Introduce Microsoft 365’s apps and features, and explain how these can help them enhance their productivity and efficiency. This will ensure that everyone is familiar with the Microsoft 365 environment, preventing any disconnect or confusion, and pave the way for a seamless migration.

Rushing the process

While it’s tempting to try and migrate all your data at once, it would be foolish to do so. Successful migrations take months to plan, prepare, and execute. They are best done in stages. If you’re migrating your email accounts, for instance, it’s recommended that you move your emails to Exchange Online before gradually rolling out other apps. This way, all the data you need will be carried over to Microsoft 365 without any loss or corruption.

Stuffed mailboxes and large files

If your users have too many emails in their inboxes or have a lot of large files, the migration process could slow down significantly. Encourage your staff to archive their inboxes and delete large, unnecessary files to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

Outdated software

If your business is still using an older version of the Windows operating system (OS), such as Windows 7 or Windows XP, you’ll have trouble using Microsoft 365. The productivity suite works best with Windows 10, so if you’re planning to implement it, factor the cost, time, and effort it will take to upgrade your OS into your migration plan.

Doing the process yourself

On paper, migrating to Microsoft 365 seems like a simple and straightforward process. This leads many businesses to believe that they can do it on their own. However, without proper guidance from experts, you may run into problems that can harm critical business operations.

Ensure an error-free migration by partnering with us today. We’ll show you the proper way of migrating your business’s systems to Microsoft 365 without affecting your day-to-day operations.

Your Google My Business Profile is More Important Than Ever

If you’re like most businesses who managed to remain open during these trying times, you have had to make a wide range of changes. The question is, are your customers aware of them? Do they know your new business hours or your COVID-19 precautions? Is your only communication tool a piece of paper taped to your door? Now is the time to take advantage of one of the most potent business communication tools available: Google My Business.

Is Your Business Still In Pre-COVID-19 Mode?
It has been about a year since most organizations had to enact radical changes to their business model in response to the pandemic. Unfortunately, some businesses could not adapt (through no fault of their own) and didn’t survive to see the New Year.

For those businesses that were able to evolve, now is no time to rest on your laurels.

Even as vaccinations roll out, the reality is things will never return to the exact way they were pre-COVID. For better or worse, your business needs to make any temporary changes permanent to provide the experience your customers have come to expect and even rely upon. Moreover, now is the time to enact any changes you were putting off in hopes of things returning to “normal.”

Most customers, even those that have worked with you in the past, will likely use a Google search to look up your company, get your phone number, check your online menu, check your business hours, etc. Google is their first impression of you, and their repeat stop to grab basic information about you. You can control the data Google displays about your company by managing your Google My Business Page.

Update Your Google My Business Page
Your Google My Business page manages the public information that Google displays when your business appears due to a person’s search. Hopefully, when the pandemic first stuck you altered your business operations (opening, closing hours, etc.) and in response, you updated your GMB account to reflect these changes.

If you haven’t, now is the time to review the information you have there. Have you updated your business hours or services offered? Ensure the contact information on your GBM page corresponds to the NAP (the Name, Address, and Phone Number) you have on your website.

Your NAP is vital because Google uses your Google My Business page to provide local searchers with information about your business. If this information is inaccurate, you reduce your business’ ability to get your message out and for customers to get in touch with you.

Moreover, if you want your business to turn up in a local search, your GMB presence needs to be as accurate as possible. Remember, as far as Google is concerned all search is local, and if your information isn’t correct, Google may show a competitor’s information instead of yours.

Finally, getting your business on Google doesn’t happen automatically, there are some steps for you to take. if you haven’t claimed your Google My Business account, you are, as we noted, limiting your business’s ability to be found. Of course it shouldn’t need to be said that if your business doesn’t turn up in search, your bottom line will suffer.

One more thing: we’ve been talking primarily about Google’s My Business page, but you need to be doing this across all of your social media accounts too. Everything should be accurate, because some of your customers will have their own preference for finding your business.