BYOD – What Is It?
An acronym that’s been popping up in businesses recently, BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device. It’s becoming a hot topic of late because more and more businesses are allowing employees to bring in their own smartphones, notebooks, tablets, etc. This trend can be attributed to the development of cloud technology and smartphones, specifically the iPhone, due to their ability to view and share documents anywhere.
Benefits of BYOD
The most obvious benefit of adopting BYOD practices is the money saved. Since employees bring their own devices into the office, the cost of that hardware is not your burden, thus saving you money. You also don’t have to train your workers on how to use their devices, which saves even more money. Also, many of the devices brought in are cutting edge. When the cost of the new technology is on the employee, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to keep up with the times.
Another benefit of BYOD is worker satisfaction. There is a reason why employees bring their own devices to work: they prefer those devices. They are much more familiar with them, which make them easier to use. Bringing their own devices can decrease many of the frustrations that can be caused by unfamiliar tech.
Concerns
While BYOD may seem like a wonderful idea, there are some drawbacks. When the company provides the hardware, they can manage its use. Telling workers what is or isn’t acceptable use is much easier. When workers bring in the own devices, it becomes a bit more difficult to tell them what they can and cannot do on their own device. The need for an acceptable use policy is imperative, however, because for all an employer knows, employees are surfing the internet or engaging in other activities that are not conducive to productivity.
The bigger issue with BYOD is security of your data. If an employee is let go or leaves of his own free will and his device contains company data, then that data needs to be retrieved. Companies that fall under PCI DSS, HIPAA, or GLBA mandates regarding data must enforce their guidelines, regardless of device ownership.
Overall, the BYOD trend is a logical option if the proper safety measures are implemented.
