There are many pro’s and con’s when actioning a Bring Your Own Device to work policy and these effect both employee and employer. When counting the cost of BYOD it is important to recognize both financial and psychological factors:
Productivity vs Stress
When BYOD systems are put in place it has been clearly demonstrated that productivity is increased. According to Cisco, the simple implementation of using a smartphone or tablet that is familiar to the employee leads to better productivity, saving on average 81 minutes of time performing tasks each week.
There are additional gains that fall on the companies side such as working during the commute. Wi-Fi signals are now commonly available on a variety public transport mediums and where it isn’t, Cloud services bridge the gap with synchronization taking place as soon as a data signal is restored.
Studies have shown that over 3 quarters of employees who use a smartphone or tablet at work also check their emails outside of their businesses premises and outside of their assigned working hours.
This leads to an interesting conundrum where employees never disconnect from work which inevitably leads to increased levels of stress. On the opposite side of this conundrum though is the fact that employees are happier at work as BYOD opens up the possibility for employees to remain connected to their social networks.
BYOD Security Pitfalls
One of the biggest concerns for businesses who encourage BYOD schemes is the security of sensitive company data such as emails, reports and files. Smartphone PIN’s and pass codes should be employed but according to BitDefender 40% of workers who use their own device for work do not use a PIN or pass code.
This statistic and the potential for a security failure are further demonstrated by the SecureEdge Networks report which highlights that 35% of employees store their work passwords on their mobile phone.
Employer Provided SIM’s
According to Carphone Business 4G is more secure when compared to Wi-Fi and this presents businesses with a further conundrum. Wi-Fi for the most part is provided on a complimentary basis in thousands of locations around the country. So if the security level of BYOD schemes are to improve then employers will need to supply employee SIM cards in order for them to pick up the costs of using 4G.
Under these circumstances a company can counterbalance these new costs with professional bill analysis and according to Carphone Business 85% of business can save 25% of their billing costs by undertaking a review.
The Future Of BYOD
BYOD schemes are certainly not going away and according to Cisco 90% of workers in the US are already using their own smartphones for work purposes. This statistic is not surprising we consider the latest CBS News report which highlights that 67% of professionals use their own mobile smartphone or tablet at work regardless of the companies BYOD policy.
The Gartner Report informs us that one in two companies will not supply mobile devices for their workforce in the future and this could cause additional costs and security threats for these business.
The mobile device market currently has many solutions that offer secure mobile use tailored for business professionals and Vodafone informs us that 54% of people already use their Apple iPad for work purposes.
The question now though is will a professional buying their own device consider smartphones from business phone specialists such as BlackBerry. The initial sales figures of the BlackBerry Passport suggest a positive trend as sales of this device soar.
However the ultimate cost of BYOD will be decided on the success of creating trust between employee and employer and the education of importance of their BYOD policies.