USA - Mobility and the Cloud: Combined Challenges

Delaware CSO Elayne Starkey: 'Time to Sit Back Is Over'

The State of Delaware saw the demand for employee-owned mobile devices, along with cloud computing services, and knew it was time to act before the trend got out of hand.

"We're thankful that we were able to get out a little bit in front of it," Elayne Starkey, Delaware's chief security officer, says in an interview with Information Security Media Group's Eric Chabrow 

In allowing employees to use their own devices, Starkey's department set up seven controls so users can access state computers securely, including requirements for strong passwords, inactivity timeouts and, if necessary, remote wiping for lost and stolen devices [see 7 Steps to Secure Mobile Devices].

Starkey also has seen an upswing in the move to cloud solutions over the last 12 months. Delaware has an architecture review board that looks at every new IT initiative, and Starkey's department was able to get contractual language included in front of all cloud initiative contracts. Her office also reviews the solutions.

With this paradigm shift in technology well on its way, organizations can no longer wait. "For the folks in the security world, it's really easy to stay secure in this space by not allowing the personal devices," Starkey says. "I'm afraid that's not a real practical decision now."

As organizations set up their BYOD [bring-your-own-device] policies, they must ensure that parameters are spelled out, expectations are set and that employees and IT understand what they're getting into. "At this point, the time to sit back and see what's going to happen is over," Starkey says.

In the interview, Starkey discusses the:

-       Seven controls Delaware places on employees' mobile devices so they can access state computers with their own smartphones and e-tablets;

-       BYOD phenomena that's sweeping business;

-       Expected increase in demand by employees to use their own devices at work because of the introduction of the iPad3 [see iPad3 4G Nudges BYOD].

-       Urgency for businesses and governments to implement BYOD policies without further delay.

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