Preferred Blog

Let’s face it; running a business can be expensive, and taking any measures possible to mitigate those costs can have huge benefits for your bottom line. One way companies are minimizing costs is by implementing a Bring Your Own Device policy, or BYOD, to allow employees to use their own personal devices for work purposes. We’re here to help you do so without putting security at risk.

One of the most effective means for a business to shave a few dollars off its budget (and potentially boost employee engagement, for that matter) is to adopt something called a Bring Your Own Device policy—effectively, an agreement that allows their team members to access business-owned documents and files on devices they personally own to get their work done. While these policies have been shown to be very effective, they also need to be carefully considered so they can be adopted appropriately.

There are a lot of benefits to implementing a Bring Your Own Device policy for your business. Firstly, people will be able to use the devices that they’ve purchased, and have grown accustomed to, for work. Moreover, many times they can access company information with the use of easy-to-use mobile apps, providing them with more opportunities to be productive. In fact, many organizations that install a BYOD policy see the majority of their workforce work more, which creates more opportunities for revenue growth, and ultimately, higher profitability of the endeavor.

Mobile devices are so common nowadays that you’ll likely encounter your employees bringing multiple devices to the office on a regular basis. Little do they know that everything they bring with them, from their Fitbit to their laptop, poses a security threat. Of course, the threat level from each individual device will depend on what it is exactly, but the point stands that the less you do about mobile device security now, the more danger your organization will be in down the road.

BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, policies have proven to be a highly effective way for companies to save money. However, these policies need to address some of the shortcomings, potential costs and issues that comes with employees bringing and using their own devices could present to your business--not to mention security concerns.

Smartphones, laptops, and Chromebooks empower today’s workforce to be more mobile, and employees are often the driving force behind this. Chances are, if your business hasn’t even begun to think about your mobile IT strategy, a percentage of your staff already has.

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, has grown significantly in the business environment. You might even have a couple practitioners of BYOD in your own office; people who use their personally-owned devices for work purposes. However, just like any potential benefit, it also has drawbacks that need to be considered. How can you implement BYOD without experiencing too many of its drawbacks?

Ownership
The Pro: If your business wants to save money, you can allow your team to use their own personal devices for their daily duties. This can be helpful if you don’t want to purchase new devices and the required network attachments. For example, an employer and employee might be able to reach an agreement where some part of a smartphone’s data cost is covered by the business. In this situation, both parties save money, making it an appealing choice.

The Con: If you can reach a decision on the ownership of the phone, that’s great. However, can you answer who owns the data that’s stored by the device? If an employee were to leave the company and take sensitive data with them, does the employer have the right to delete files from their personal device? What about the integrity of the device itself? Is the owner responsible for fixing the device, or is the employer? On top of that, who’s responsible for private data?

Selection
The Pro: Under a BYOD policy, employees can select the technology that they feel most comfortable working with. This makes it easier to work than if you were to provide them with an operating system or a suite of applications that they’re not familiar with. Giving them the ability to take initiative and upgrade their device as they see fit can be both empowering and helpful, as they won’t have to jump through hoops with IT to get the devices they need.

The Con: When an employee is in control of their device selection, your IT department will probably be thrown into a frenzy. What level of responsibility and maintenance will they have over pain points like data access and security? If you let your team implement devices on a whim, it will be, more or less, impossible to standardize the applications and solutions you’ll need to properly manage their devices.

Availability
The Pro: Employees using their mobile devices for work purposes can potentially use their device while away from the office to get more work done, or to receive important phone calls. This provides the opportunity for quicker response time, which can make all of the difference in the heat of the moment.

The Con: If communications are bound to the office, there are more clear boundaries between your employees’ personal lives and their work duties. What’s stopping the employees from receiving phone calls from needy clients in the middle of the night, when they’re trying to rest up for the next workday?

Implementing a solid BYOD policy is no easy task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult, either. We can help your business fully leverage mobile devices through a mobile device solution. To learn more, contact us at 708-781-7110.

Mobile devices have taken the workplace environment by storm, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t use their smartphone, laptop, or other device for work purposes. This trend, called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), helps employers spend less on new solutions, but it also presents a risk that needs to be managed: the Internet of Things (IoT).

Mobile devices are changing the way that businesses look at the workforce, but one of the main draws (and possibly detriments) is how the industry continues to change rapidly as new solutions are made available. In order to maximize your business’s efficiency with mobile devices, it’s important to consider these three trends shaping the way that organizations handle modern mobile device management.

A trend that’s taking the office by storm is BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. These policies entail workers bringing their own devices to the office and using them for work-related purposes. While this opens up many avenues for enhanced productivity and efficiency, being too laissez faire with your BYOD policy could instigate some problems later on, primarily in the security field.

As the mobile device market is booming, more employees are bringing in their own device to work (BYOD). Advantages to BYOD include a workforce that's mobile, increased employee satisfaction, and more; but using personal devices comes with risks, and business owners must consider these risks before allowing BYOD in their office.

Employees bringing their own mobile devices into the workplace (BYOD) is one of the hottest business technology trends. BYOD has been shown to increase productivity, but when it’s implemented improperly, it can leave your business vulnerable to security threats. How do you motivate employees to stick to your BYOD policy in order to ensure the safety of your company’s data?

The trend of employees bringing in their own mobile devices to the office and using them for work purposes (BYOD) is growing rapidly. In fact, a new report from Juniper Research forecasts that by 2018, more than one billion employee-owned devices will be used in enterprises. A trend this big means that organizations have to take BYOD seriously.

There's a tidal wave of different consumer devices available on the market; smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, and much more. Employees love their devices and love bringing them to work. If your company is allowing for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), then you will want professional support to get the most out of it.