I’m sure that plenty of new MacBook Airs, MacBook
Pros, iPads, and iPhones were given as gifts this holiday season. If you
plan to use a new Apple device in your employer’s Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD) program, this post includes some important
settings — including security — that you need to know before using your iPhone for business.

Backup your device

Make sure that you backup your Apple device before bringing it into the office. This will help protect your personal data.

To backup your Mac to iCloud:

  1. Click System Preferences (Figure A)
    Figure A
     
  2. Click iCloud (Figure B)
    Figure B
     
  3. Select the following:
    a. Use iCloud
    for mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, notes and Safari
    b. Use Find My Mac
  4. Click Next
  5. When prompted, enter your password to setup the iCloud keychain
  6. Click Allow to use Find My Mac
  7. Follow the prompts to setup the iCloud keychain
  8. Select one or more of the following options:
    a. Mail to backup your mail
    b. Contacts to backup your contacts in the Contacts
    app
    c. Calendars to backup data you have in the
    Calendars app
    d. Safari to backup your browser settings
    e. Documents & Data to backup documents and
    data in your Documents folder
  9. Close the dialog box to save the settings

To backup your iPad or iPhone to iCloud:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Tap iCloud
  3. Enter in your Apple ID and Password
  4. Tap Sign In, and iOS 7 will verify your Apple ID
  5. When prompted, tap OK to allow iCloud to use the
    location of your iOS device
  6. Select the iOS device data you want to sync with
    iCloud

Manage settings on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro

There are some basic Mac OS X settings you should know
before bringing in your Mac to the office.

Turn on Find My Mac

I recommend turning on Find My Mac if you didn’t already as
part of setting up iCloud. This feature operates just like Find My iPhone, giving you the chance to find your Mac if it’s lost or stolen via GPS.

To turn on Find My Mac:

  1. Click System Preferences
  2. Double-click iCloud
  3. Check Find My Mac
  4. Click Allow when prompted to allow Find My Mac
    to use the location of your Mac

Verify that Bluetooth is off

Turn off Bluetooth unless you need to use it with a
peripheral. Leaving it on full-time may present a security risk. Click on the
Bluetooth icon on the menu bar and verify that Bluetooth is set to Bluetooth:
Off.

Set security and privacy options

The OS X Mavericks security and privacy options include
firewall, password, and screen login controls.

To set security and privacy options:

  1. Click System Preferences
  2. Double-click Security & Privacy
  3. Click Firewall
  4. Click Turn on Firewall
  5. Click General
  6. Select Require password, and then immediately in
    the drop down list
  7. Select Disable automatic login
  8. Select Allow apps downloaded from Mac App Store and identified
    developers
  9. Click
    on the Lock icon in the bottom left corner to confirm your security changes (Figure C)
    Figure C
     

iPads and iPhones

Here are some basic iPad and iPhone settings that you should
set prior to bringing your new device into the office for BYOD (honestly, you should use these setting even if you don’t bring your mobile device in the office).

Set auto-lock and passcode lock

Setting auto-lock and a passcode lock are a prerequisite in
many BYOD initiatives and just plain good iOS device security.

To set a passcode lock:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Tap General (Figure
    D    ):
    Figure D
     
  3. Optionally, change the Auto-Lock for your
    screen (however, I advise you to keep it to 1 minute)
  4. Tap Passcode Lock and enter your passcode
  5. From
    the Passcode Lock screen, you have options to turn your passcode off, change
    your passcode, and allow access from Siri, Passbook, and Reply
    to Message
  6. Optionally, turn off Erase Data after 10 failed
    attempts to enter a passcode into the phone

Turn on Find My iPhone/Find My iPad

Turning on Find My iPhone/Find My iPad should be one of the
first tasks you perform when you get a new iPhone or iPad.

To turn on Find My iPhone:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Tap iCloud
  3. Scroll down until you see Find My iPhone (Figure
    E    )
    Figure E
     
  4. Slide Find My iPhone to Green. Note: The option appears as Find My
    iPad on an iPad.

Do Not Disturb

The new iOS 7 Privacy feature is bound to play havoc with
both BYOD and corporate iPhones, at least in the beginning.

To control Do Not Disturb:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Tap Do Not Disturb (Figure F):
    Figure F
     
  3. Slide Manual to green to silence all incoming
    calls (a moon icon will appear on the status bar)
  4. Optionally, slide Scheduled to green and set the
    From and To time for when you want to silence calls on your iPhone
  5. Optionally, slide Repeated Calls to green to let
    only calls from your iPhone contacts
  6. Optionally, open Control Center on your device, and tap the moon
    icon On and Off to change your Do Not Disturb setting

Turn Bluetooth off

You should turn off Bluetooth on your device, unless you’re
using it with a peripheral like a headset or a keyboard.

To turn off Bluetooth:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Tap Bluetooth
  3. Slide Bluetooth off 
  4. Optionally, slide the Control Center open and tap the
    Bluetooth icon on/off

Conclusion

Mastering these settings will make you a better educated and
more secure BYOD user and help you ask the right questions of your employer and
their BYOD policies.

Are you bringing a new Apple device to the office after
the holidays? Share your experience in the discussion thread below.