Banned! Apps that are blacklisted by companies on BYOD devices

While 'bring your own device' (BYOD) schemes at the workplace seem to improve productivity of employees, businesses implement certain policies to ensure that their trade secrets and other important data are protected.

IT departments make use of certain computer programs to control what data can be accessed by the employees and what apps can be installed on their devices. One tool that can help them enforce data and security policies is a software referred to as mobile device management or MDM.

MDMs allow companies to back up data from the device, trace a lost gadget, block programs and applications and even wipe the device clean in case it gets compromised.

ZDNet had published an article on Friday, June 7, about the most commonly banned applications by companies implementing BYOD programs. This was based on the mobile metrics from Fiberlink, a leading provider of MDM and the company behind the widely-used MaaS360 software.

The MDM provider examined data from around two million devices using its software and checked what applications are allowed and what are commonly blacklisted.

Fiberlink found out that its customers created a list of allowed and banned apps. It also noted that only around 5% of customers using Android devices created lists while around 10% did it for clients using iOS devices. The company's statistics also show that the number of whitelisted apps outnumber the blacklisted software. Android users blacklisted seven apps on average while banning 10 while iOS users blocked five apps and whitelisted 16.

"It's interesting to note that Dropbox appears on in the top 10 blacklist for both iOS and Android, while at the same time appearing in the top 10 of whitelisted iOS apps. This shows that while some companies see Dropbox as being a threat, other embrace it," Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet explained. The other iOS apps commonly whitelisted by companies incude iBooks, Adobe Reader, Google, Citrix Receiver, Numbers, Pages, itunes U, Keynote and WebEx.

Meanwhile, NITDroid, Adobe Reader, Lookout, Google, Skype, Citrix Receiver, Android Translator, Antivirus, ZXing and Google Maps top the whitelisted apps for those who use the Android platform.

See the complete list below:

Top 10 Banned Android Apps

1. Dropbox
2. Facebook
3. Netflix
4. Google+
5. Angry Birds
6. Google Play Movies & TV
7. Google Play Books
8. Sugarsync
9. Google Play Music
10. Google+ Hangouts

Top 10 Banned iOS Apps

1. Dropbox
2. SugarSync
3. BoxNet
4. Facebook
5. Google Drive
6. Pandora
7. SkyDrive
8. Angry Birds
9. HOCCER
10. Netflix

The infographic below gives a clear snapshot of BYOD globally: