By Amanda Iacone
Federal News Radio

A week ahead of the Office of Management and Budget’s expected release of new bring-your-own-device guidelines, Michael Isman, vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, said he hopes the guidelines tie into other policies for social media, teleworking and even cloud computing.

“Agencies really need to think through how people use these devices. So if you’re thinking about a mobile device, what kinds of applications stores are you putting in place so employees can really pick from applications that are acceptable to the organization? How are you thinking about storage and personal data? If they are using a public cloud, are you setting up some sort of cloud environment?” Isman told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp Wednesday.

Federal workers want to be able to choose their own devices in large part so they don’t have to carry multiple devices, Isman said.

But any bring-your-own-device guidance should include educating workers on just what they can do with their tablets, smart phones and laptops for work. The devices should also be used to advance an agency’s mission and can be critical for teleworking or even working in the field, Isman said.

“The best agencies are really looking at this not as BYOD in and of itself but BYOD as part of a broader digital ecosytem, so thinking about BYOD as it relates to your broader mobility strategies,” he said. “Really taking this all together and thinking about it as a broad paradigm within which you’re working. ”

Because security remains a concern, agencies have to prioritize what data they will allow to be shared with mobile devices and what data must be protected.

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