The ABCs of Bring Your Own Device to work

Businesses are taking advantage of the growth of mobile devices by allowing employees to use their own devices (Stocksnap.io)

Although a relatively new concept, Bring Your Own Device is gaining much popularity in business.

Gone are the days of when employees relied on company-owned laptops, cell phones and pagers to complete their to-do list. In today’s office space, smartphones and tablet PCs have taken over the corporate world in more ways than one.

One of these is the concept of “bring your own device” or BYOD, also popularly known as bring your own (BYO). By taking an advantage of the growth of mobile technologies, companies are increasingly giving their employees the option to use their own devices for company purposes, and are allowing employees access to company networks.

While BYOD is regarded as an excellent method for boosting employee productivity, it comes with a number of concerns. These are the advantages and disadvantages of BYOD that you should be aware of:

The Pros

Managers can manage their tasks while coordinating their teams from anywhere.

BYOD removes the 9-5 workday limitation. Having the ability to access company networks from their smartphone or tablet at any time of the day, increases employee productivity.

BYOD increases worker satisfaction in that employees work with devices they are comfortable with, instead of settling for PCs that the IT department has issued.

Implementing BYOD practices can also help a company attract new employees. As many employees prefer to use their own devices as opposed to a company’s equipment, BYOD boosts the hiring process of companies you adopt this trend over companies that use the same company-issued devices.

The Cons

While there are many reasons why companies may benefit from allowing employees to bring their own devices to work, there are a number of concerns that may push many to think twice.

One of the major issues is the loss of control over IT hardware and how employees use it. Company devices are typically protected by company-issued security. However, when an employee uses their own device, it becomes trickier to tell an employee what is or isn’t acceptable.

Compliance and ownership in terms of data is another issue. Company compliance mandates have rules and regulations that need to be followed even when employees use their own devices.

When an employee resigns or is fired, retrieving company data can present another problem. Plus, should an employee’s device be stolen or lost, the data the device holds could leave sensitive company information in the wrong hands.

These security concerns put immense pressure on the IT department to ensure the support of the large number of devices employees use, as well as ensuring that each one measures up to company standards.

Given these major security concerns, the first reaction for many companies may be to ignore BYOD. But with IT business trend showing no signs of slowing down, a company may lose valuable talent by not jumping on the bandwagon.

Installing a BYOD policy

Before taking any steps to implementing BYOD into your company, be certain that you’re not integrating the concept because it’s the trend right now. If you want a successful mobile integration method, you’re going to have to develop a well-thought out BYOD policy that clearly outlines how personal devices should be used.

A strategic policy will cover all the necessary elements including, devices the company will support, password protection for all devices, functions and applications employees can access from their devices as well as details on costs employees may be reimbursed for.

The ABCs of Bring Your Own Device to work

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The ABCs of Bring Your Own Device to work

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