An Assessment of BYOD Control in Higher Learning Institutions: A Namibian Perspective

Abstract

With the increasing demand for mobility at workplaces, the trend for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is spreading very quickly in business organisations. In education BYOD has become a centrepiece for the success of modern universities. Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) embrace BYOD trend as it helps to reduce the cost of acquiring devices, providing maintenance and support for both students and staff. However, the adoption of BYOD presents both opportunities and security implications. The main objective of this study was to assess the extent of adoption of BYOD and effectiveness of controlling these devices and their secure use in Namibian institutions of higher learning. Case studies were carried out at two Namibian tertiary institutions. Data was collected using interviews and vulnerability assessments. The results show that the use of personal mobile devices is prevalent at these institutions as students and lecturers use them for educational purposes. It was also discovered that the institutions suffer from network access control challenges among other security issues discovered. Control of mobile end user devices was found very minimal due to the absence of BYOD security policies. The validation of findings confirmed that technical security solutions combined with explicit policies and procedures can help to improve BYOD control.