Ask Slashdot: Should Employers Ban Smartphones?

An anonymous reader writes "Due to a concern that smartphones (and other electronic devices) could be infected with malware and used to spy on sensitive information, my employer has recently banned all personal electronic devices from their spaces. The concern comes from articles like this one. My question to slashdot readers: How reasonable is this concern? How can this sort of malware be prevented from showing up on our devices? Is there a way to educate employees about preventing this sort of thing rather than banning the devices altogether? This current reality is that people have started to rely on having their smartphones with them at all times for things such as receiving emergency calls from day cares and schools, making personal calls during normal working hours (i.e. to make doctor's appointments), accessing password managers, and scheduling calendar events."

Comments

Re:No persuasion required

[Minwee]

What do you recommend for people who use public transit instead of driving to work?

Death

I see that you work for the Muni.

Occam wanna sell you a razor

[luis_a_espinal]

If you need to make a personal call that you do not want to/cant make from your desk line, go out to your car during lunch and make it.

What do you recommend for people who use public transit instead of driving to work?

Go outside and make the call? I mean, how many people are out there working in submarines, underground silos or a bunker in the middle of the Mojave Desert for whom the simplest, most general case solution is not applicable?

Re:Occam wanna sell you a razor

[Big Hairy Ian]

You can get a mobile phone signal on a Submarine? I didn't even know they'd licensed the ULF Range :)

Re:Suck it up.

[HereIAmJH]

You usually have to repeat yourself several times before finally loudly yelling "Hemorrhoids!"

Yeah, and my doctor keeps telling me he can't do anything about my boss.