According to Statista, by the year 2017 in the United States there will be an estimated 207.4 million smart phone users over the age of 13, shaking out to roughly 63 percent of the projected census population. This means that a majority of the average population will already have their own mobile smart-device they’re taking to work. In most cases these mobile-users are already utilizing their personal devices to manage work applications such as email and calendars, which is why BYOD (bring your own device) is becoming a popular option for mobile communications within organizations. So popular, that according to a survey performed by Gartner, Inc. 38 percent of companies worldwide plan to stop providing devices to workers by 2016. Today, many organizations are already enjoying increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and various cost savings from adopting these policies.
On the flip side, while this option is popular due to its ability to accommodate employees choosing their favorite mobile platform, it can become a herculean task for IT departments to manage these devices and create the necessary infrastructure.
3 things to consider before implementing a Bring Your Own Device Policy
- Access to Corporate Resources: How your organization is going to create access to information remotely, and how access will be removed when an employee is terminated, are questions to be addressed. The privacy of corporate sensitive material, intellectual property, and the individual employee’s information are also obstacles to be overcome. Corporations are currently operating at all levels of security with private app stores being considered the most secure method.
- Personal Costs: The possible expense of a BYOD policy for an employee is a concern as some employees may be unable or unwilling to invest personal assets into having the technology. Due to the various expenses of technology, discrepancies between the qualities of technology owned may impact employee performance and the compatibility to various app stores.
- Organization Cost: The added cost to set up systems, such as personal apps stores, to ensure optimal security, needs to be budgeted for. Additionally, if your organization is going to offer any compensation for personal technology expense, this needs to be determined before implementing a BYOD policy. The overall costs or cost savings will be dependent on your corporate structure.
Luckily, if your organization does decide that BYOD is for you, there are plenty of online services to help you make it an easy transition.
What do you think, is BYOD the way to be?
