- BYOD entails considerable data protection risks, particularly in terms of data security and the difficult separation of private and business data.
- Employer-provided devices offer greater control over usage, software and security and are therefore preferable from the author’s point of view.
The decision on BYOD use lies with the company. Before introducing a BYOD system, all the advantages and disadvantages as well as alternatives should be carefully examined and weighed up against each other. We consider BYOD use to be tricky from a data protection perspective, especially with regard to data security and the distinction between private and business data. The separation is technically difficult to implement. Moreover, a logical demarcation is at best insufficient to protect business data on the one hand and to prevent access to private data by the employer on the other. Further questions arise when the employer accesses the business data, for example when a device is to be checked or in the case of remote maintenance. However, if the devices are provided by the employer (cf. Alternatives), the employer has far greater leeway in these matters, as it already specifies the type of devices, their use and the software and applications, which is why, in our view, such a solution is to be preferred.