"BYOD is not too different from the mobile laptop movement 10 years ago; it's a new platform problem -- a control problem -- a perimeter problem -- an infrastructure challenge in meeting the demand of increased numbers of mobile devices residing and acting on the network," said ChengWei Cheng, technology evangelist at Hitachi-ID. "Device-based authentication really needs to be identity-based access control as well because, as soon as someone takes the device, they could assume the device owner's identity."

In the meantime, organizations shouldn't wait to tackle the challenge. They should begin by building focused plans for delivering secure mobility using implementation roadmaps that match their business requirements and environments. Below is one such strategy:

* Define the business strategy and requirements: Are you running a hospital that ? Or, are you running an airline that provides the gate agents with company-owned tablets?

* Assess the current operating environment: Do you already have a home employee and mobile laptop access control program in place? Can your infrastructure handle more than one device per user?

* Design, research, and pilot: Find a handful of solutions that meet your requirements and that work within and/or extend your infrastructure. Whittle the list down to the top two or three and conduct a pilot with a few user groups.