BYOD trend – an acronym of Bring Your Own Device – consists in using your own mobile device at work. This phenomenon has recently become one of the most popular trends in the business world. This tendency is constantly analyzed by technological companies and research agencies, which have conducted a number of surveys on functioning of this strategy in work environment within recent years. The presented results show both strengths and weaknesses of BYOD. However, they do not exactly resolve doubts whether it is worth implementing such policy at work?
In order to receive an answer to that question it is worth analyzing profits and threats related to application of the BYOD strategy in a company. The first group includes significant savings for enterprises. An employer does not have to buy equipment since employees use their own. It is especially important for start-ups, which do not usually have enough means to fully equip their office. The second profit is mobility, which is really important for representatives of the Y generation. It is the group which is particularly crucial while talking about BYOD. The representatives of the digital generation got used to co-working places, favorite cafes or domesticity, that is broadly speaking remote working. It is something natural for them to be mobile.
On the other hand, one of the main disadvantages of BYOD is the issue of security of data on private devices of employees. In case of loss, theft or hacker attacks there is a threat of leakage of confidential information. Another problem is IT support. In an environment where many devices operate with other operational systems, it is impossible to deliver a proper level of technical support to all their users. Countless number of possibilities makes effective management of the whole IT structure really difficult. The problems mentioned above are only one of many drawbacks resulting from the policy of BYOD in companies. Does the implementation of such strategy in enterprises make sense?
Some of the threats related to such policy can be reduced thanks to devising a safety policy in companies. These rules should be known and applied by every employee. The safety policy should consist in clearly defined rules concerning rights, duties and responsibility. For instance: in order to avoid the leakage of confidential information it is important to define certain requirements in the safety policy such as data access control, possibility of blocking the access in case of danger or possibility of remote deleting of sensitive information in different situations. A crucial element is also to define minimal requirements in such document in the area of private equipment and used software, the meeting of which allows to gain access to company’s network and its resources. The mentioned issues are only some of many others that should be included in the safety policy. After its devising, the next step is to select proper tools, thanks to which it will be possible to implement the BYOD strategy in companies. Such solution is MDM (Mobile Device Management), that is a software which allows to manage remotely the whole set of mobile devices in companies.
At present, there is a broad choice of services offered by technological companies on the market. These solutions support and enable running the BYOD policy in enterprises. AFORTE, for instance, devised a service which is compliant with requirements of BYOD dedicated to office buildings. Users of WiFi may benefit from the access to the Internet on private devices. This solution covers the whole buildings together with areas of tenants and common parts – treating the access to the Internet/WiFi as a standard. Devices of employees are connected to the network and they are authorized by employers, however, they still remain independent.
An office adjusted to individual needs and possibility of using your own equipment at work are a chance for increase in satisfaction and productivity of employees. It translates itself into positive quality of performed official duties. Each employee then becomes the most crucial capital for their enterprise. Thus providing workers with proper work conditions definitely brings long-lasting profits to entrepreneurs.