Setting Up Your Personal Devices (BYOD)

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

What is BYOD?
Bring your Own Device (BYOD) is a widespread term for when an organisation like USW allows colleagues to use their own personal mobile phone or tablet to access work-related information.

Why does this affect Cyber Essentials?
In addition to mobile or remote devices owned by the organisation, user-owned devices, which access organisational data or services are in scope for Cyber Essentials (CE). CE recognises there is a risk that by allowing colleagues access to work related information on a device that is not secure or protected, that sensitive information could be copied, modified, transferred to competitors or simply made public.

Some examples in which we must protect USW work-related information:

  • Protect USW data if a colleague leaves USW or if they lose or sell their device.
  • Prevent vulnerable attacks from Malware such as installing apps from insecure sources; failing to update a device can leave it open to security threats.
  • Leaving devices unattended or allowing family and friends to use them can put USW information at risk.

Aside of the above examples, what else can USW do to mitigate against Cyber Threats?
Mobile Device Management (MDM) addresses the unique needs of a mobile device. It provides you with real management capabilities, including convenient configuration, self-service tools, and enhanced protection. These features are organised into a collection of settings called configuration profiles. Installing these profiles on your mobile device enables you to connect securely to University resources without needing to configure some of the settings yourself.

What do I need to do to be Cyber Essentials compliant?
Your Department or Faculty will be notified in advance when IT Services plan to roll out MDM to your Android or IOS mobile devices. Following on from this communication if you try and access work-related information via Teams or Outlook you will be prompted to install the Company Portal and Windows Defender. However, you do have the option to opt-out which means you will NOT be able to access work-related information on your mobile phone. If you chose to opt-in, please install the Apps. The in-app guidance is easy to follow but you can use the sidebar to access device-specific advice for iOS and Android. IT Services strongly recommend you install these Apps on a WiFi network such as University WiFi or home WiFi, installing these Apps whilst you are using mobile data may incur charges if you hit the limit on your data usage.

Does this benefit me as a colleague of USW?
Yes, aside of the significant security aspects to protect USW data the work profile offers a great work-life balance aspect.

Frequently Asked Questions

IOS: latest released by Apple

Android: software version 12+

This information is provided as per the date the communication was written. Information on the minimum requirements will be updated on the IT Services website.

Most BYOD will automatically receive software updates as and when the vendor releases them. However, if your mobile device is no longer supported by the vendor to receive these latest software releases then Cyber Essentials deems this device ‘non-compliant’ and unfortunately you WILL NOT be able to use that device to access work-related information. This means you will no longer be able to access Outlook for emails, Microsoft Teams, HR ESS or any work-related information from your mobile device.

Yes, Huawei, Honor and Oppo phones are not supported.

Android: Company Portal - 227KB, Windows Defender – 64MB

IOS: Company Portal - 55.8MB, Windows Defender - 49.8MB

Android Devices
No, for Android devices the Company Portal is effectively managing the USW Apps. These managed Apps are types of software that separate company data and personal data on the device and would enable IT Services to limit monitoring and remote wiping to company data only.

Android: IT Services can see:

  • Model, Serial Number, and Device ID, Phone Number, Carrier, Operating system, Build Number, Kernel Version, Baseband Version, MAC Address, Language.

IOS Devices
For IOS devices IT Services can reset lost or stolen device back to factory settings which will reset the entire device.

IT Services cannot view browsing history on device • See your personal emails, documents, contacts, or calendar

  • Access your passwords
  • View, edit or delete your photos
  • See the location of a personal device

IOS: IT Services can see:

  • View Model, Serial Number, OS, identify your device name.
  • View data collected by corporate apps/networks.

For most staff personal devices are a convenience item. If you are provided with a work device then you can continue to use this as normal. If you are not, then you can use shared devices on any of our campuses. These are located within public areas such as libraries or can be available within your department.

Access to USW online systems and resources will now be restricted to a managed and supported internet browser. To assist with this we will deploy Edge to each enrolled personal device. All USW online systems should be accessed from this browser. Personal browsing should be done from your standard browser

This Cyber Essentials requirement will provide many benefits to colleagues of USW using mobile phones and tablet devices, but unfortunately for the interim it will prevent usage of Office 365 applications on personal Windows Laptops, Windows desktop machines and Apple Mac.   

How does this impact me? 
You may have previously taken the opportunity to download Microsoft Office 365 applications, such as word and Excel onto your personal device and use Office 365 as part of the offering provided by the University.  Unfortunately the School of Care Sciences or CSO will NOT be able to use these Microsoft applications or access them via the web as we work towards our Cyber Essentials certification.  IT Services are aware of the inconvenience this may cause staff and are working towards a solution which will allow staff to use Office 365 again.   

How can I check if I have setup my personal device using my USW Microsoft account? 
You can open MS word and locate your login information highlighted with a red rectangle, this is just an indicator and the below name is just an example.   

To confirm the user account license information please navigate to > File, as shown below.  If your University credentials are used then it will display [email protected]. 

Then go to > Account. 

The account information above is just an example, if you have used your University credentials it should state it in the red box above. 

After you have received your Intune device, and security settings required for Cyber Essentials have been applied, you will receive the following message if you try to use Office 365 applications and access O365 via the web using your University credentials. 

 

IT Account Access
IT Policies and Regulations
IT Support
Facilities and Software