Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) is quickly becoming one of the most divisive issues in modern business. For the last few years, many companies have been happily jumping on board, causing tech analysts to predict an ongoing boom in BYOD.
However, recent research from CompTIA suggests a slowdown in interest, with up to half of companies not participating in BYOD at all. Additionally, there is a laundry list of issues that have come up, putting a damper on some companies' adoption.
None of these issues are insurmountable, but they are worth discussing for those considering BYOD in their office.
What's Causing the BYOD Drop-off?
- Uninvolvement
Let's start with the “Occam's Razor” answer: Companies aren't deliberately getting onboard with BYOD, or making BYOD policies, because they haven't felt compelled to. If employees are using their personal devices without hassle, management simply may not care about the specifics.
Finding accurate statistics on firms taking this approach would be nearly impossible, but this sort of hands-off attitude likely won't be able to continue for long. As other issues with BYOD grow, companies are going to have to take a stand – one way or another.
2. Hidden Costs
One of the big potential benefits to BYOD is that companies are no longer on the hook for buying and supplying the hardware to employees. However, the myriad security issues involved with BYOD means that many are finding long-term costs continue to grow.
Software licensing, app management, malware-related issues, and questionable expense report filings are among financial problems commonly cited.
That said, this also largely boils down to pre-planning. As more companies go the BYOD route, more cost-effective solutions to these issues are likely to arise. Likewise, employee misbehavior is ultimately a disciplinary and communications problem, not a technology problem.
3. Privacy Disputes
BYOD is becoming central to a growing class of disputes between team members and management: Just how much control can a company legally have over their personal devices? Horror stories of draconian policies circulate BYOD circles, like companies attempting to dictate a whitelist of allowed apps or employees being fired for losing their phone.
Largely speaking, employee communication can head off these disputes, especially if the policies consider their concerns as well. BYOD gray areas are a major issue and probably the biggest reason some are still continuing to purchase all their own hardware.
If THEY own it, the employees cannot complain about device restrictions.
4. Questionable Results
Finally, while there are still many claims about BYOD creating a happier or more productive workforce, actual results are hard to measure. This tends to make nervous CIOs and CFOs even more nervous about the financial benefits of BYOD.
However, this is also not to say that they aren't having an effect. “Productivity” and “morale” are notoriously difficult to chart accurately even in the best of circumstances. These are simply areas that are very hard to break down statistically, and in data-driven firms, that's as bad as having low numbers.
Think Before You BYOD
The key takeaway here is this: BYOD is happening. Even if a company has no BYOD policies, it's almost inevitable some of the employees are already using their personal devices at work.
Forced choices are always unpleasant in business, but such a decision point is in front of a lot of operations today. BYOD cannot be ignored, and decisive action - one way or the other - is quickly becoming a necessity.