Assessment of BYOD security awareness among mobile device users within Namibian enterprises

Abstract

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) concept refers to employers allowing their employees to bring their personal digital devices to workplaces and use them for work related purposes. Enterprises are enjoying the benefits of BYOD, which allow them to cut operational costs as they do not need to purchase computers for their employees. Employees are enjoying the comfort and convenience offered by BYOD; however, this can also expose organisations to security breaches as BYOD implementation can present positive opportunities as well as security challenges. The main objective of this paper is to present an assessment of BYOD security awareness within Namibian enterprises. A case study was carried out at one Namibian enterprise as it was considered by the researcher as a suitable site in meeting the research objectives. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. Based on the findings, it was observed that the use of personal mobile devices is prevalent within the enterprise. It was further observed that the enterprise suffers from access control challenges and the BYOD concept is not formally implemented with the enterprise because there are no policies in place among other issues. The findings confirmed that if appropriate security measures/controls are implemented, increase in BYOD security awareness among the mobile device users can be anticipated.