Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) - Is your company prepared?
November 25th, 2013 Our Internship Blog series is written by Jenelle Tremblett, a 3rd year student at Dalhousie University Work flexibility is at an all time high with the increasing cloud technology. Long gone are hefty desktop computers and strict 9-5 work days. In exchange we have wireless devices which we can use anytime and anywhere. With these changes in the workplace it is not always convenient to have a second work phone or laptop for professional use. Today, many employees would much rather use their own devices for work purposes, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. Now you can do work at home, anytime of the day or night. This flexibility has led to the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomena which has allowed employees to use their own personal smartphones and laptops for professional purposes.
Gartner predicts that by 2016, 38% of organizations will have stopped providing mobile devices to employees, instead allowing employees to choose and use their own devices in the workplace. By 2017, half of employees will be using their own devices for work.
There are both pros and cons to using your personal devices for professional use, but the bottom line of whether BYOD is beneficial depends on your company. Some companies will need strict sets of rules; others may require more relaxed policies that are keeping within their corporate culture. Nonetheless if your company is allowing BYOD, implementing a policy or strategy of some kind is in everyone’s best interest. In order to do this, companies should consider how BYOD could impact the organization. Below I have listed various pros and cons that need to be examined before a BYOD policy is put in place.
When employees bring their own devices to work they are generally happier and more productive. If they are an avid Apple user they will be more productive when using a MacBook as opposed to a PC. (And they probably won’t even know how to turn on a Blackberry.) Accenture states, “BYOD erases time boundaries, allowing employees not only to be productive after working hours but also to time-shift commitments, allowing them to attend a child’s soccer game in the afternoon and work later in the evening”.
On the other hand, when employees are using their own devices, employers have very little control over what data is being produced, accessed, and shared. If the employee’s device is lost or stolen, there may be a huge risk of leaking very important and possibly sensitive data. If employers are monitoring devices, they also have to make conscious efforts to respect the employee’s privacy.
So, when implementing a BYOD policy, what questions should a company consider before jumping on the bandwagon. Here are a few to get you started:
Who is required to pay for the phone bill? What happens if the phone breaks?
What are the policies on international usage and data?
What happens if an employee leaves? How do you access their data and past work?
With security risks in mind, how much of the device does your company control and when would it become a privacy issue?
Do you want or expect your employees connected and available 24/7?
Overall, a BYOD policy should complement the needs of your company as a whole. For the policy to be beneficial, there are many steps that need to be taken to outline your policy so that the company and employees can manage their expectations and expenses. Companies need to be aware of the security, resource, and privacy implications and employees need to understand the security and legal issues of using their own devices. By taking time to plan an effective policy, you may just save your company time, energy, and money, and make employees more productive in the process.