Wearable technology is all over the place inyour office, whether you realize it or not. Consider how many of your employeeswear smartwatches or health trackers. All of these devices tend to enrich thelives of those who use them, but they can quickly become network security risksif you aren’t prepared to handle them on your company network. Let’s go overwhat you need to consider to protect your business from wearable technology.
Most people understand wearable technology asthe use of fitness trackers and smart jewelry, but there are other innovativeways to use it, including virtual reality headsets, smart glasses, Bluetoothheadsets, and more. In the business environment, you’re most likely to seesmartwatches, devices which your employee will get the most out of if they areconnected to your wireless network or through access to employee devices.
The most important element of wearable devicesin the workplace, however, is security, and you cannot overlook them as a risk.Most wearable devices are not governed or protected by the compliance standardsupon which your business is subject to. This includes compliance with commonregulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA) and others. For example, these devices are known to receive pushnotifications from an individual’s smartphone, making them potential avenuesfor vulnerability. With limited user interfaces due to their primary use beingas a watch, businesses generally have limited control over how these devicesmanage data or push communications to wearable technology.
The first step toward protecting your networkfrom wearable technology is to implement a reliable Bring Your Own Device(BYOD) policy. This helps to define which devices are allowed within yournetwork and the stipulations you have in place for them. Many organizationswill build a BYOD policy centered around smartphones, which isn’t a bad placeto start, but it should also cover other equally important technologies, likeemployee-owned laptops and tablets or other devices used to connect to companyassets.
Once you have your policies in place, you’llneed solutions in place to enforce them. If you implement a Mobile DeviceManagement (MDM) tool to control your various devices and endpoints, you’llhave a much easier time maintaining control over your network and the devicesthat connect to it. In fact, MDM is so effective for protecting your networkthat the odds of you experiencing issues from a wearable device are quite slimin comparison.
Look, there will always be those who getexcited about new technology, and wearable technology will likely be one sectorthat will continue to grow and evolve over time. You can take advantage of itfor your company and innovate in the process, with the appropriate IT support,of course. To learn how you can take full advantage of wearable technology, besure to contact us at 954-628-3770.
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