What is this BYOD lark?

The concept of “bring your own device” (BYOD) is a growing trend for businesses. There are a variety of benefits to allowing staff to use their own mobile devices, but there are also some concerns. I had a discussion recently with a potential client and another with a client of many years so I thought it would prove useful to summarise.

It used to be that IT departments drove technology within the workplace, but that has changed dramatically in recent years. The users are now the ones getting the latest, cutting edge technologies first, and they want to bring those devices to work.

Benefits

Businesses that embrace BYOD have some advantages over competitors. For starters, BYOD programs generally shift costs to the user. With the worker paying for most, or all the costs for the hardware, voice or data services, and other associated expenses, companies save a lot of money -- as much as ￡60 per month per user if its a big data plan and the latest iPhone.

You might expect users to be against paying for the devices and technology they use at work. Not so. A report on BYO states that, “50 percent of companies with BYOD models are requiring employees to cover all costs -- and they are happy to do so.”

That brings us to the second benefit: worker satisfaction. Users have the smartphones they have for a reason, those are the devices they prefer, and they like them so much they invested their hard-earned money in them. Of course, they’d rather use the devices they love rather than being stuck with a bog standard mobile device that is selected and issued by the IT department. This also prevents them from having two mobiles to carry around as well.

There are two more advantages that come with BYOD as well. BYOD devices tend to be more cutting edge, so the business gets the benefit of the latest features and technology. Users also upgrade to the latest hardware more frequently than they may be able to with a company issued device.

Concerns

BYOD isn’t all fun and games. There are some issues to consider as well. By embracing BYOD, businesses lose much of the control over the hardware and how it is used.

Company owned tech typically comes with an acceptable use policy, and it is protected by company issued security that is managed and updated by the IT department. It is a little bit trickier telling an employee what is or is not, an “acceptable use” of their own smartphone.

Make sure you have a clearly defined policy for BYOD that outlines the rules and states up front what the expectations are. You should also lay out minimum security requirements for devices to connect to company data and network resources. In today’s challenging times the big fear is that hackers will try and get into company files and servers via mobiles.

If a worker is let go, or leaves the company of their own accord, retrieving company data can be a problem. Obviously, the company will want its data, and there should be a policy in place that governs how that data will be retrieved.

If you’re not already taking advantage of the BYOD trend, you should consider it and we should have a coffee to discuss. Just make sure that you’re aware of both the pros and the cons, and address any potential issues up front.

If you need any help or advice on this, then please do drop me a line for a chat – I would love to help you on anything mobile related. More information is also available on our website www.yourbusinessmobile.co.uk or you can email me directly [email protected]