The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: oldtoyota on May 30, 2013, 08:34:13 AM
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My company, like many organizations, wants to put the expense of cell phones onto the employees.
I'm still on a plan with limited minutes, so I let folks know I'd not be able to take phone calls outside of the office if that happens.
It seems like employees--for some reason--want to pay to use their own devices for work and so companies are moving toward eliminating cell phones and, soon, (who knows??) maybe computers too!
My concern is that I will be forced to use my personal phone for work email. If I install the MS Exchange on my personal phone, that will allow IT to control my camera, password, and to wipe my phone clean.
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/22/131511381/wipeout-when-your-company-kills-your-iphone
What is the best way to get around allowing IT to wipe my phone clean? The only thing I can think of is to access email only via a web browser.
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If a company is allowing you access to company resources, I believe they the right to secure those resources. Either tell them you want a company provided device or don't access email on your phone, other than through webmail.
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Tell them to provide you a device. If you then want to use that as a personal device as well (to, say, save money on having your own separate phone bill), then I don't have a problem with them being able to wipe it.
If you don't want that, have your own, separate personal device.
Don't give them access to your personal device.
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This is the reason I don't use the company email server on my personal tablet; I access work email (rarely) using a web portal. On the work-supplied tablet, I use the server.
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At our firm attorneys pay for their own cell phones. And if they want to access corporate data, then the firm retains the right to wipe the device clean should it become lost or stolen. That's a pretty boilerplate policy in most places, it protects both the firm and its clients.
If your firm is insisting on your using your cell phone for work (voice), then they really ought to fund that. You don't pay for the phone on your desk, do you?
And if your firm is insisting on your accessing email through your phone (data), doubly so. You don't pay for the computer on your desk, do you?
Personally, I refuse to get the Internet on my cell phone because I get the Internet at home and at work and survive just fine with those brief periods where I am not online. I find data plans to be utterly, completely ridiculous unless you are using them for work. In other words, the attorneys here genuinely need their data plan. The secretaries, who also have iPhones and Droids but have no access to the company network, simultaneously bitch about pay while handing Verizon an ungodly sum of money each year for their totally unnecessary toy.
Whoa, getting dizzy way up here on my soapbox, time for me to step down....
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IMO they either supply the device (and have admin privs) or they get nothing. That may mean you don't get access... but... do you really want to both wear the leash and pay for the collar?
BTW: you might also look at setting up a davmail (http://davmail.sourceforge.net/) proxy. I don't use a smartphone (because I don't want to pay for it!) ... but I do use a non-corporate approved laptop. (I.e: Linux). Because of that, I can't access the corporate LAN. The only thing I really need is email/calendar/contacts. Since the company runs a OWA server, I use davmail to proxy to it. Davmail will convert an OWA web mail into standard protocols (POP, IMAP, SMTP, ical, etc).
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I hear you that the company should pay for the device if they expect me to be available. However, my boss and many other members of the team access email via MS Exchange on their personal mobile devices and do not seem to care that IT could wipe their phones clean.
That leaves me in the minority.
It did not go over that well when I said I would not be available at times. I've said several times that I pay for minutes and would not be able to make or receive calls.
What I really need is not people saying the org should not do it. They are going to do it.
What I need is to find out if accessing it via the web is the best solution given the circumstances. That is the only option I see.
Is there another option?
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If your firm is insisting on your using your cell phone for work (voice), then they really ought to fund that. You don't pay for the phone on your desk, do you?
And if your firm is insisting on your accessing email through your phone (data), doubly so. You don't pay for the computer on your desk, do you?
Not yet. =-) However, they have considered that line of reasoning and it doesn't matter to them.
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Can you buy another phone for a small amount and the most minimal plan possible? If your company is not willing to provide you one, they want you available and you don't want to use your personal device that seems like the only solution.
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Can you buy another phone for a small amount and the most minimal plan possible? If your company is not willing to provide you one, they want you available and you don't want to use your personal device that seems like the only solution.
Thank you. I had not thought of that. I wonder if I could write it off on my taxes as an expense I have to have for work??
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http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/2013/04/03/can-i-deduct-my-mobile-phone-and-other-electronic-devices/
Do you itemize your deductions?
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Wow. I've heard of people using their work cell phones as their personal phone, but I've never heard of a company requiring employees to buy a phone that will be used for work purposes. That is just crazy to me. I've always kept mine separate for both personal and security reasons. If I were you, I would push as hard as possible to have them provide a device or I would buy the cheapist phone possible and dedicate it to work.
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Wow. I've heard of people using their work cell phones as their personal phone, but I've never heard of a company requiring employees to buy a phone that will be used for work purposes. That is just crazy to me. I've always kept mine separate for both personal and security reasons. If I were you, I would push as hard as possible to have them provide a device or I would buy the cheapist phone possible and dedicate it to work.
The finance guy shared the news with glee. He is so excited to be saving money for the organization. And, what's odd is that people gladly use their personal devices. The younger folks do not know any other way. This is the way many companies are going these days.
Yep. I've always kept mine separate too. I do not want people calling my personal phone for work--at all.
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My company lets me expense the work portion of my cell phone bill, instead of giving a company-provided phone. I use an app called Touchdown to separate the work stuff out when I do have work email on my phone. That way, they can't remote wipe the whole phone.
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My company lets me expense the work portion of my cell phone bill, instead of giving a company-provided phone. I use an app called Touchdown to separate the work stuff out when I do have work email on my phone. That way, they can't remote wipe the whole phone.
Do you use Microsoft Exchange? That app sounds interesting.
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The finance guy shared the news with glee. He is so excited to be saving money for the organization. And, what's odd is that people gladly use their personal devices. The younger folks do not know any other way. This is the way many companies are going these days.
Yep. I've always kept mine separate too. I do not want people calling my personal phone for work--at all.
That is CRAZY to me! Doesn't the company worry about liability if someone does a phishing scheme or something? I just don't get it!
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My company lets me expense the work portion of my cell phone bill, instead of giving a company-provided phone. I use an app called Touchdown to separate the work stuff out when I do have work email on my phone. That way, they can't remote wipe the whole phone.
Do you use Microsoft Exchange? That app sounds interesting.
Yep.