Jan 22, 2014

The bring-your-own-device trend has become pervasive across all industries as organizations integrate the initiative to open more opportunities. For law firms, BYOD has posed considerable challenges as there are numerous compliance standards that must be observed in order to protect client information. These businesses must create a mobile device security policy that will not only allow employees to use their hardware effectively but will also provide the safety measures that companies require.

How secure are law firms?
Law agencies may use online file sharing to send important documents to colleagues, but these programs and mobile devices are creating a considerable risk for information protection. ITLA’s 2012 Technology Survey revealed that while many legal firms are using mobile devices, the majority are not observing the appropriate security precautions. While only 17 percent of respondents do not require passwords on wireless email hardware, 74 percent of firms have not established automatic encryption and 65 percent do not track mobile device use. These statistics show that organizations are leaving themselves open to numerous vulnerabilities. By creating a data security policy, businesses can provide these security needs and ensure that they are implemented across the firm.

“The often sensitive and privileged nature of information that legal workers transmit via mobile devices and cloud services should be reason enough for legal IT departments to address security issues and meet the challenges of BYOD head-on,” ITLA contributor Charles Magliato wrote.

Creating a secure mobile platform
Mobile devices are often overlooked when it comes to regulating business processes, but this hardware is quickly becoming an integral asset for many firms. Business News Daily cited a recent survey that revealed that less than 25 percent of respondents had a formal mobile device security policy in place, although more than two-thirds of the firms had an established backup plan for corporate information. In addition, one-third of respondents allowed their staff to make their own decisions about keeping client and business data, which could present significant risks to the overall organization. Although a large majority (78 percent) of legal professionals were not concerned with the safety of their documents, having an unregulated mobile work environment will open numerous potential vulnerabilities and increase the chance of data becoming compromised.

Protecting sensitive data
Creating a data security policy is essential to organizations, especially those that have compliance standards and rely heavily on information. With solutions like Memeo C1, organizations can share files securely and deter unauthorized users from viewing critical documents.