3.3.2. Wireless and security
Despite significant improvements in WiFi security over
the past five years, many of the banks are still not fully
comfortable with using WiFi for core systems. The widely
predicted increase in cyber-attacks over the next few years
is making banks even more nervous. But a key dependency
of banks adopting agile working is provisioning mobility
through wireless technology and portable devices.
Banks we interviewed told us that the first connections to
be cut in the event of a breach situation are the wireless
and remote connections – and if a large proportion of the
workforce is dependent on these, there will be a big impact
for business continuity. Do banks need to maintain the space
and capacity to bring all of its employees back in to its real
estate portfolio in the event of being unable to maintain
remote connectivity?
3.3.3. Consumerisation and BYOD
The rise of powerful, consumerised technologies at an
affordable price has made them ubiquitous, and people of all
ages now routinely carry a smart, mobile, connected device.
This in itself has driven the demand from employees to be
able to use their own technology at work (BYOD), and the
shifting generational mix in the workforce is only adding to
this pressure.
But again, there was an understandable level of
nervousness from the banks we interviewed around security
and control of data and applications. Some banks have
successfully worked around the concerns, believing they
have a manageable level of risk and so allow employees to
use their own devices. But the majority of banks have not.
There are now applications designed to silo any corporate
data (emails etc) on a personal device, which can then be
wiped remotely in the same way a corporate device can,
without affecting the personal data on the device.
25
The future of the financial workplace
|
September 2014
