Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsHR practiceHR strategyHR Technology

Data protection: 10 tips for ‘bring-your-own-device’ employees

by Rob Moss 3 Sep 2013
by Rob Moss 3 Sep 2013

After decades where organisations issued employees with computers and mobile phones, the rise of the smartphone and the falling cost of home computing has meant employees are increasingly bringing their own devices to work.

Employees might use their own devices – phones, tablet computers, or laptops – to supplement their use of the organisation’s IT equipment or they may do so as part of a formal bring your own device (BYOD) programme. Indeed, IT research company Gartner has predicted that by 2017, half of employers in the US will require employees to supply their own device for work purposes.

According to 2013 research, almost half (48%) of UK residents now own a smartphone. This, along with trends to toward virtual working and cloud computing, means HR departments need to ensure that staff who use their own devices for work do so in accordance with the requirements contained in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Below are 10 considerations to keep employers with BYOD employees compliant:

1. Before using their own device for work, employees must ensure they use a strong password to lock their device. The device must be capable of locking automatically if an incorrect password is entered.

2. Employees must use encryption software on their devices to store personal data securely.

3. Workers should ensure that if they transfer data, either by email or by other means, they do so through an encrypted channel, such as a virtual private network (VPN) or a secure web protocol (https://).

4. The security of any open network or wi-fi connection should always be checked, and staff and should not use unsecured wireless networks.

5. Unverified or untrusted apps should not be downloaded, as they may pose a threat to the security of the information held on employees’ devices.

6. Employees must not, under any circumstances, use corporate personal information for any purpose other than for their work and as directed or instructed by the organisation.

7. Staff should use different applications for business and personal use.

8. Software should be in place for quickly and effectively revoking access that a user might gain to a device in the event of loss or theft.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

9. Employees should make sure that any software they use is genuine and is installed under an appropriate licence agreement between the employee and the relevant manufacturer to prevent any security vulnerabilities.

10. Finally, staff should report the loss or theft of their device if used for work-related activities immediately to the data protection officer in the organisation or another specified individual.

This list is adapted from XpertHR’s data protection policy on bringing your own device to work, written by Alison Frazer, a specialist employment barrister at Queen Square Chambers. The BYOD policy also covers other important matters including the retention and deletion of personal data, third-party use of the device and what happens when a BYOD employee leaves the organisation.
Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
MPs and unions call for upper temperature limit in workplaces
next post
Birmingham to welcome L&D professionals to World of Learning 2013

You may also like

Ministers loosen fire and rehire proposals in Employment...

10 Jul 2025

£188k tribunal award for director sacked after cardiac...

10 Jul 2025

It’s no secret – parity in the workplace...

10 Jul 2025

Firms’ salary secrecy means ‘they lose out on...

10 Jul 2025

Court of Appeal rules that Ryanair agency pilot...

9 Jul 2025

Teacher recruitment goals ‘lack coherent plan’

9 Jul 2025

Gregg Wallace sacked amid fresh misconduct allegations

9 Jul 2025

Doctors vote for return to strike action

8 Jul 2025

‘Frustrating’ that NHS Plan has overlooked OH, warns...

8 Jul 2025

Employment Rights Bill set to ban employer NDAs

8 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+