Back when smartphones mostly came in the form of company-issued Blackberrys, organizations benefited from a clear sense of ownership over their devices. Corporate smartphones were lent to employees for business purposes in the same way as desktop computers and laptops. This made creating mobile device management policies relatively simple. Then came the bring your own device (BYOD) movement and the need for BYOD solutions.

BYOD-specific concerns

BYOD has proven to be a sticky subject, as it can be difficult for organizations to navigate the fine line between corporate and personal ownership. The main issue with BYOD is that both personal and corporate data reside on the same device. When employees used company-issued devices, organizations could not only manage data, but also manage the device as a whole. This meant that if an employee lost a device or severed ties with the company, keeping data secure was as easy as remotely wiping all data off phone. However, this type of device management is simply not a viable BYOD solution. Now that employees are using their own devices to perform work tasks, organizations must be mindful of their rights as device-owners when selecting BYOD solutions.

Threading the Needle with Containers

Among the available BOYD solutions, app containerization has risen to the top of the list as the best way to resolve the pesky issues surrounding ownership and jurisdiction. Through a series of technological features, containerized enterprise mobile apps allow corporate data to reside on personal devices while still under complete control of the enterprise. At the same time, BYOD owners remain fully in charge of their device and all of their personal data. The most obvious benefit of having containerized apps is increased application and data security. Container technologies make it possible for IT security administrators to enforce a variety of security features specific only to enterprise apps. Such features can include single sign-on authentication, cut-and-paste restrictions, and app-level encryption. App containerization also allows for IT security managers to set broader security policies and push them out to applications. Together, all these features work to protect sensitive corporate data in case the device is lost, compromised, or the employee is no longer associated with the organization.

Best of Both Worlds

What app containerization offers is the best of both worlds: giving organizations the ability to manage and secure their enterprise apps at a granular level without infringing upon the rights of the device owner or sacrificing their user experience. It is a flexible and reliable BYOD solution that can be implemented in a variety of different ways, including via app wrapping or the SDK. Used in conjunction with mobile application management (MAM®), containerized apps allow both organizations and employees to enjoy the full benefits of the BYOD concept.