Top 5 BYOD End Point Testing Strategy Considerations

There are multiple testing considerations associated with each aspect of the BYOD implementation, End Point Testing, MDM Solution Testing, or Corporate Solution Testing.

Probably the most obvious strategy area is end point testing. This testing focuses on the mobile device itself and whether or not the device is able to access corporate applications, such as email, contacts, calendar, VPN, and so on, that are part of the corporate BYOD strategy.

The five suggestions that follow address what I consider to be the Top 5 testing considerations for BYOD testing. However, the order and priority of the items should be based on your organization’s particular risk tolerance profile.

1. Tests should be developed that ensure that all supported device, OS, carrier combinations function correctly. These tests should verify that the device is able to access the network, install the configurations from the MDM solution and correctly access the authorized corporate applications.
2. Tests should be considered that attempt to access the network using unsupported devices and OS versions. This strategy is designed to ensure that the system is proactively handling unsupported devices. A well-defined BYOD implementation will deny unsupported devices at every level of the solution.
3. Test the actual solutions that are installed by the MDM solution on the mobile device. When an employee connects to the network for the first time, the MDM solution will install applications, such as virus protection on the employee device. Also remember to test that updates pushed out by the MDM are effectively handled by the device.
4. Test to ensure that all Personally Identifying Information (PII) is protected on the device. One of the legal considerations for corporations is access to and the protection of, employee PII. The strategy should include testing to ensure that the company doesn’t have the ability to access the device’s location data, which may violate law in many jurisdictions.
5. There is a lot of testing that needs to be considered associated with testing the MDM solution installed on the device. This would include testing that the MDM policy enforcement functions correctly for events such as Jailbreaking or rooting attempts, as well as, the blocking of blacklisted applications.

For more information on developing a BYOD testing strategy that works for your company visit our blog or contact us. Your comments are also welcomed.