FileTalk - An Accellion Blog

Ever wonder what type of toothbrush your dentist uses at home? Or how often your trusted mechanic gets the oil changed on his/her own car? Wouldn’t it be nice to know what products and practices the experts actually rely on behind the scenes? Well, thanks to a recent article in The Guardian, we gained a glimpse into how the mobile productivity editor of TIME Magazine – Harry McCracken – stays productive while out and about on the reporting scene.

Here’s some of what we learned:

• Harry’s tablet of choice? An iPad.

• A good keyboard is key: A keyboard can transform an iPad from a media consumption device into a legitimate productivity tool. Sure, some people do just fine with on-screen typing, but for Harry, he wanted a physical keyboard to be able to see more of his writing at one time. He’s tried out a lot of models and has found his favorites are from two companies – Zagg and Logitech.

• Desktop be gone: McCracken has traded in his desktop for a laptop at the office, although you’ll usually see him on an iPad, even when at his desk. He said that he traveled with his laptop for a while as a security blanket but then realized that the iPad could support his mobile computing needs just fine.

• Skeptics are everywhere: Despite being on the cutting-edge of mobile technology, Harry’s reliance on tablets has been met with raised eyebrows. “People get very defensive when someone is taking a different approach to computing then they do. My feeling is, there is no wrong way to use computers. If you’re happy and productive, all ways are equally good.”

Are you using a tablet for your day-to-day job? If so, check out the latest news on our Secure Mobile Productivity Suite, which allows employees to easily create, edit, and share files on a mobile device without exposing sensitive business information. It’s mobile productivity at its best.

Whether you are an organization with 50 employees or 50,000, finding a way to manage and secure employees’ mobile devices and access rights to corporate data is imperative. BYOD policies aren’t just for the big guys. If employees are bringing smartphones, tablets, or other devices into the office, then the chances are good that those same employees have plans to use (or are already using) those devices to access and send work-related files. It’s up to the organization to dictate when and how that happens.

We’re seeing a positive uptick among SMBs addressing the mobile device movement, with new research by iGR showing that 62 percent of IT managers at SMBs have an official BYOD policy in place. Yet, the same research found that 73 percent unofficially permit workers to use personal devices for work purposes.

It’s great news that so many smaller organizations have put a stake in the ground with a written BYOD policy. Hats off to you! It’s the 73 percent that are allowing employees to use devices without any official parameters that has us concerned.

Acknowledging that mobile access is a work must-have is an important first step. But, that needs to be followed with IT controls to ensure that files are being accessed only by authorized users, all mobile content is being shared securely, and that users are only turning to file sharing applications that have been thoroughly vetted by the organization.

So whether your organization has less than 50 or more than 50,000 employees, consider secure mobile file sharing an essential element of your mobile strategy, and make BYOD an official order of business.