The present IT landscape is a fertile ground for a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture. The Internet and the Cloud both prepared the way for consumerization, mobility, the explosive growth of mobile devices, and high speed business.
While the press often focuses on the challenges of BYOD programs, news messengers sparingly bring up the opportunities in a BYOD environment. Intel surveyed 3,000 IT managers and 1,300 end users in Australia, Germany, the United States, and South Korea in 2012. Titled “Insights on the Current State of BYOD”, the report concluded that worker productivity was the key driver for BYOD adoption. Interestingly, less than a fourth of those surveyed considered cost savings a key benefit.
Is the desktop in peril?
While the desktop is still a robust office tool, the changing work preferences of an increasingly mobile workforce may lead to its gradual graceful exit. Developers constantly track the changing demands of a mobile consumer market and may soon leave the desktop approach. They are now bringing in communications and productivity solutions that focus on mobility.
Are smart devices getting smarter?
There are no indications for drastic hardware developments, but the scramble for cutting-edge software will make smart devices smarter and smarter with each new software. As smartphones, smart cards, smart boards, laptops, tablets, phablets, and more flood a crowded market, business users are now leveraging their benefits to enhance mobile productivity.
Is BYOD secure and reliable?
A recent Intel report indicated that installing a security program is a key requirement in building a reliable BYOD IT platform. To achieve this, IT managers are looking beyond the corporate firewall so that they can implement a fail-safe user code of conduct that apply to all their processes across all devices. Remote wipe capability is a new enhancement that can wipe out mission-critical data in the case of device loss or theft.
Is lack of compatibility an issue to achieving interoperability?
Many of the IT managers surveyed had reservations about the compatibility of their current systems with the integration of BYOD tools. Their doubts centered on the ability of their existing enterprise applications to support new BYOD, lack of compatibility with their legacy infrastructure, limited support for different operating systems, and the need to standardize on new product offerings.
Every change has its pain points and business owners must sometimes bite the bullet in order to stay competitive or even survive. With some tweaking of the infrastructure or operating systems, or by consulting with trusted service providers, the correct infrastructure, peripherals, and drivers can be redesigned to create interoperable networks.
Is BYOD best for the employer or the employee?
For the employer, BYOD is a business enabler. Allowing employees to work anytime and anywhere encourages them to have virtually extended work hours. They can convert commute time to productive work while working at home. They also can use their personal devices to communicate with their fellow employees, customers, and other business stakeholders on work-related matters via video conferences, email, or text messaging – all for improved productivity.
For the employee, being trusted to work remotely and with less supervision empowers them to give their best. It also gives them a sense of satisfaction for being allowed to use a device of their choice--such as a personal smartphone, tablet, or laptop--to make work more convenient for them.
BYOD deployment is not just a trend; it is an inevitable evolution taking place in the workplace. Before rolling out the program, it is important to get expert advice for the perfect BYOD approach or whether to consider one at all.