The danger of using personal devices and how Microsoft Business Voice can help
Ask yourself this: has anyone within your business used their personal mobile phones for business calls over the last year and a half? If the answer is yes, it might be time to consider a VoIP system such as Microsoft 365 Business Voice.
Due to the remote working guidelines distributed by the government over the last year, many businesses have struggled to find a communications solution that fits them. Pre-pandemic, companies based solely in one office, often had Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone systems in place, which were hard-wired to only work in the office. The end result has been companies encouraging their staff to use their own personal devices to make and receive phone calls. It is dangerous for staff to be using their personal devices for business calls for several reasons.
1. Firstly…
It opens up an individual’s personal phone number, making it available to not only customers, but hackers too. Cyber attacks and data breaches remain prevalent, so any extra use of your personal number or device risks leaving your business, and its systems and data, vulnerable to hackers.
Text message phishing is very common nowadays. In addition to this threat, malicious applications that can be downloaded from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Stores are prevalent. This means that the average personal mobile or tablet device could be subjected to a cyber attack, just as much as SME. But, if a personal device which was also used for business purposes was hacked, then their employer’s data stored on the mobile phone could be at risk, alongside any business systems they logged in to via the personal device.
2. Secondly,
Using a personal device is a potential GDPR breach, which could see large fines levied against the business as well as the individual if a breach occurred. Employers must ensure that any data stored on work phones is as secure as it would be if it was stored on the company server. Research shows that fewer than half of organisations have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) security policy in place to safeguard work-related data that resides on personal mobiles.
However, if a GDPR breach was identified and traced back to an individuals device, then both the company and the individual could be subjected to fines of thousands of pounds, if not more. In 2020, UK businesses alone paid almost £40 million in GDPR violations, which shows the country’s Information Commissioner’s Office takes breaches incredibly seriously.
3. And Thirdly…
It is just unnecessary! Cyber attacks and phishing campaigns are not the only threats to be aware of. As the UK citizens begins to leave the house more freely, the chance of theft or loss rises – again business information and systems could be readily available to criminals if they steal a device that is also used for work purposes.
And the solution?
A VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system could be just the solution. At Neuways, we have implemented VoIP phone systems for years, and Microsoft 365 Business Voice is as good as it gets. By using a VoIP phone system, your employees will be able to use your existing Microsoft 365 software to access all business calls from whatever location they are working from. It is a secure piece of software that eradicates the need to even think about using a personal device. In short – VoIP from Microsoft resolves the 3 issues above in one simple, easy-to-use solution.
So, to reduce the risk of your company being affected by cyber criminals, poor communication lines and GDPR fines, all as a result of relying on personal mobile devices, it might be time to consider VoIP.
Contact the IT experts at Neuways today to receive a free VoIP demonstration of Business Voice. Call 01283 753333 or email hello@neuways.com.
