Is BYOD Right for Your Business?

We’re calling it: flexibility is going to be the business buzzword of 2018. With more companies allowing their employees to work remotely, office workspaces are becoming less critical to operations. BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, policies have caught on in the push for flexibility, but should you implement them for your company? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pros

• Employee Satisfaction: For many people, their personal devices have pretty much become a part of their being. With a BYOD policy, employees get to use the devices that they’re most comfortable with rather than working on a company platform. By using systems that they are already used to, they can jump right into work without any training or points of confusion that could come from using a work-provided device. And while distraction may be a concern, that street runs two ways: employees who receive work-related emails, calls, and messages to their personal device will likely spend more of their own time being productive.

• Reduced Costs: There are several areas in which a BYOD policy can help reduce company spending. First, and perhaps most obvious, having employees work from their personal devices means less spending on company-provided hardware like computers and phones. Rather than providing a whole new workspace for a new employee, all you need to provide is any necessary software licenses or ancillary tech they need for their position. Another area for savings with a BYOD policy is IT costs. Part of being more comfortable with their own devices is knowing how to troubleshoot issues more effectively. Paired with reduced time setting up, replacing, and fixing company tech, this means more opportunity for IT staff to focus on business goals.

• Increased Productivity: While it may seem counterintuitive that combining your personal and professional lives on a single device can help you get more work done, an effective BYOD policy can actually make workers more productive. Earlier, we mentioned briefly the mobile capabilities of BYOD, but they can’t be overstated in this dawning era of flexibility. By receiving work emails and messages to their phones, as well as calls with the functionality of mobile VoIP, employees can work whenever and wherever they need to.

Cons

• Security Considerations: Security is by far the biggest potential hazard of a BYOD policy. Without serious consideration and planning, there is a real risk of a security breach or data loss. Because of this, a BYOD policy should comprehensively address the security measures that employees need to take in order to access company data. For example, some security measures that need to be defined are:

• • Strict password policies
  • Levels of data access
  • Encryption best practices
  • Expectations of anti-malware protection
  • Automated security updates and patches
  • Limitations on sharing devices
  • Policies for return of data when an employee leaves the company
  • Prompt notification of device loss or theft, and remote wipe capabilities

While there are risks inherent to implementing a BYOD policy in your company, adequate planning and strict enforcement of security measures can help your workplace become more flexible and productive. Check out our whitepaper that goes into greater depth about BYOD considerations by clicking below.