Why Personal Devices Should Not Be Used for Work Purposes

Created by Andrew Harvey, Modified on Tue, 15 Apr at 9:21 AM by Andrew Harvey

In order to maintain strong security, compliance, and support standards, it is important that all staff use company-managed devices for work purposes. While it may seem convenient to use a personal laptop, doing so introduces a number of significant risks and limitations. This article outlines why personal devices should not be permitted for business use.

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1. Security Risks

Personal laptops are not protected by the organisation’s security policies and enforcement tools, such as Microsoft Intune. This means:

No assurance of antivirus or malware protection
No enforced drive encryption
No restrictions on unauthorised or risky applications

This significantly increases the risk of data breaches, cyberattacks, and accidental data loss.

2. Lack of Centralised Management

Company-managed devices are enrolled in Intune to allow IT administrators to:
Apply critical updates
Enforce security configurations
Monitor device compliance
Remotely support users when issues arise

None of these controls are available on personal laptops, leaving both the user and the organisation vulnerable.

3. Data Loss and Compliance Concerns

Using personal devices can result in company data being stored alongside personal data, which poses legal and regulatory challenges under data protection laws such as the Australian Privacy Act. This could lead to unauthorised access, data leakage, or difficulties in meeting compliance obligations.

4. No Control Over Device Health

IT administrators have no visibility into the health or status of a personal device. There is no way to verify:
Whether the device is running supported software
If it is receiving regular security updates
What applications are installed

This undermines your organisation’s ability to maintain a secure IT environment.

5. Inability to Remove Company Data

If a staff member leaves the organisation or loses their personal device, there is no way for IT to remotely wipe or remove sensitive business data. This presents a serious risk to data confidentiality and business continuity.

6. Inconsistent Support and User Experience

Personal devices introduce variability in software, configuration, and performance. This makes support more complex and time-consuming, and may lead to a poor user experience and increased downtime.

Recommendation

To ensure security, compliance, and reliable support, all work-related activities should be conducted on company-managed, Intune-enrolled devices only. If staff require additional equipment, this should be arranged through approved procurement channels.