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Blog posts tagged BYOD
Bring your own device? It's really about the apps
September 14, 2015
The world of work has changed unbelievably in the last decade. And it's thanks, almost entirely, to advances in technology. The 9-5 model is no longer a necessity. We now have the right and the opportunity to be pickier about how we work
Flexible working has come on in strides. In the UK, employees have the right to request it. As a result, bring your own device (BYOD) policies are now commonplace.
BYOD means allowing your employees to use their own devices - usually smart phones and tablets - for work. Some companies have embraced BYOD as a way to enable smarter working without having to spend a fortune on mobile devices.
Often, employees like BYOD too, because they can use their preferred device for work - and don't have to carry two smart phones with them.
How far can BYOD take you?
When employees can access company data securely on their own PCs, laptops, and mobile devices, they can work more easily and efficiently.
But it shouldn't stop there. As nice as it is, the modern employee - and top talent in particular - demands more. It's not unreasonable for them to do so, either. It's entirely possible for them to work flexibly and fulfil their job duties without any additional cost to your business.
A big part of this is letting them use software they're comfortable with instead of forcing them to make do with something they don't like. I've taken to calling this 'choose your own application' (CYOA).
Of course, a few ground rules need to be put in place before you implement a CYOA policy. If you use group messaging apps, employees will need to use the same one. You all need to be on it, no matter whether it's Slack, Facebook Messenger or something else.
Another fundamental rule has to be that nobody starts using awkward file extensions. For instance, if you're a media company and a staffer insists on sending you video files in QuickTime's .mov format while you're all using .mp4, you need to have a word.
Outside situations like those, it's generally smart to trust people to get on with things. Modern cloud software lets workers access all the business-critical information they need from wherever they are, on any device – and safely.
So whether an employee is using Microsoft Office or Google Docs is beside the point. I personally prefer to use Word to draft my proposals, but if someone does dazzling work with different software, it shouldn't matter.
The cloud is everywhere
When we talk about the virtues of cloud technology, we tend to emphasise location.
It's true, the cloud is everywhere, and it lets us be everywhere too: we can work from home, from the beach, or pretty much anywhere there's an internet connection.
But while the cloud does let your employees choose where they work from, it's equally important to remember that it can empower them to choose how they work – if you let them.
In 2015, being able to CYOA is just as important as being able to BYOD.
Copyright 2015 © Simon Osman, CEO of iFollowOffice
- The BYOD fear factor
- How to get your BYOD policy right
- When you should embrace employees who bring their own
Image: ymgerman / Shutterstock.com
Bring your own device: get your BYOD policy right
April 30, 2013
Unlike in the photo, tablets usually have something on the screen when people use them.
Each year, small business owners are bombarded with a barrage of new acronyms and hot tech trends to watch – some of which are more applicable to a small and growing businesses than others.
But bring your own device (BYOD) is not something they can dismiss as a buzzword irrelevant to their own organisations. In fact, with a massive 40% of UK small business workers able to choose the device they work on, compared with just 20% of large enterprise workers, BYOD is more of a reality for small businesses today than their larger counterparts.
The reality is that BYOD is pervasive, whether businesses like it or not, or have a BYOD policy in place. Employees are truly driving the change, with 37% bringing non-compliant devices into their business networks before formal policies are established.
What’s more, consumer appetite for such devices shows no signs of cooling. More than six million Brits had a smartphone as well as a tablet in December 2012. The same comScore research found almost a third of all UK page views come from mobiles and tablets.
Benefits of BYOD
So what benefits could BYOD offer business? For smaller companies, there is the clear IT infrastructure and cost rationalisation for allowing employees to use their own devices. However, perhaps more significant is what BYOD promises in terms of productivity.
A Dell Quest study into global BYOD trends (PDF link) found 70% of companies believe BYOD improves employee productivity and customer response times. With the flexibility to use devices that best suit their preferred modes of working, employees have an opportunity to work more efficiently and creatively.
What’s more, as the blurring of the private and business worlds continues, employees are going to demand more from IT, so there will be an increasing need for businesses to offer a culture of enablement, rather than one characterised by limitations.
This may explain why 71% of organisations believe implementing a BYOD policy improves workforce morale, while 65% recognise it can be a valuable tool for attracting and retaining talent.
These advantages can help a business to maintain its competitive advantage and avoid getting left behind – something 59% of organisations (PDF link) feel could happen in the absence of a formal BYOD policy.
But the onslaught of multiple devices and operating systems means businesses are grappling with the task of safely and securely enabling staff to create a personalised workspace that enhances the user experience and promotes productivity.
Creating a BYOD policy
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to BYOD policy, but there are some key considerations for businesses:
- Access rights and data security. Data protection is the largest pain point for businesses grappling with BYOD. As privately-owned tablets log on to corporate networks and exchange company files, it becomes harder for businesses to guarantee the accessibility, availability and protection of data.
IT must become an enabler, ensuring data is available regardless of where and how it is stored and accessed. Business owners must account for company data that’s out and about with an employee, ensuring its security when moving between secure corporate servers and unregistered personal devices. - Financial and management considerations. The more devices accessing the likes of email and remote desktop, the more support issues come up, stretching IT resources. A strict policy helps minimise these costs.
- Accounting for the user. Users themselves are the principal security risk within an organisation. Companies not only have to deal with people bringing in devices, but also other home-owned and managed applications and services as users demand a specific experience in their work environment.
As time goes on, more devices, operating systems, services and apps will provide a growing number of interfaces with corporate data. A company must consider how they can implement policy-based user and content management to mitigate the risks.
Crucial to any successful policy is ensuring that an employee-centric approach is taken. Companies mustn’t only consider productivity and cost-savings, but must ensure users are comfortable committing to a BYOD programme:
- Make workflows simpler for employees. Find and implement data solutions that help integrate personal devices and traditional IT without complicating things for employees. Use desktop virtualisation to enable access to corporate content, personal content and external material in the same interface without jeopardising the integrity of corporate data from any location.
Mobile device management systems (MDM) help a business monitor when staff send and receive email, and access corporate data and external sites - depending how the employer configures their system. Staff must be comfortable with how their personal devices are monitored for security. - Outline how devices may and may not be used when connecting with company resources. Outline which operating systems, apps and sites will work, and those which may have limitations. Provide alternatives, not obstacles. Prevent employees using unsafe services by providing adequate alternatives.
- Clearly detail the security requirements for password protection, the rights of the company to lock or locate a lost device, and how much staff can expect the business to pay towards the cost of equipment and data use.
- Take a multi-layered approach to technology. Combine numerous security technologies into a layered approach with proactive and reactive data protection. Carry out regular security audits to ensure vulnerabilities are addressed.
- Future-proof your business. Update your business continuity plan to reflect BYOD realities. For example, make it easy to report lost devices so the company can cut access swiftly.
Far from being the current hot trend, BYOD is already happening. Those businesses able to approach it with preparation, the right technology, and an open mind will be primed for success.
Sarah Shields, General Manager and Executive Director, Dell UK.
Why 2013 is the year of BYOD
January 23, 2013
He brought his own. Did you? (Image: Flickr user kodomut.)
So, we’ve finally perforated the delicate seams of a new year, torn our way through all the red tape and emerged the other side blinking bleary-eyed into the white hot future that sits before us! Well, either it's white hot out there or it's been snowing again - it's hard to tell.
You've already been hit left, right and centre with predictions for the year ahead. And while 2012 was undoubtedly the year of the cloud, the most talked-about technology for 2013 is bring your own device, or BYOD for short.
What is BYOD?
If you're not already aware, BYOD is a trend in company IT policies that allows employees to use their own technology to do their work. The idea is that it instils a better work ethic, promotes a work-anywhere attitude by allowing access to company systems remotely, and increases employee loyalty by giving staff a greater degree of flexibility in their workflow and work schedules.
It all sounds brilliant. And it is.
So what’s been holding BYOD back in 2012, and what will change that this year? Whilst the cloud was still pedalling its way to stardom, BYOD had to make some small compromises on its far-reaching ideals.
Chiefly, companies are scared. They fear that allowing employees to access company data on their own devices will lead to a security breach somewhere down the line.
Although many companies already allow staff to access their email through other devices, it's this fear that's holding most organisations back from embracing BYOD.
Get ready for BYOD
This year then, if a business is wishing to get the most of its people, it absolutely must start implementing systems that allow for BYOD.
That means ensuring that:
- Data can be managed remotely
- Data is securely backed up
- Data can be deleted remotely if a device goes missing
Fortunately, there are services available that can do this already. What's more, with the cloud garnering increasing support (the latest European Commission cloud strategy, Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe is a clear sign of this) 2013 really could be the year of the mobile office, the year our work ethic is revolutionised and the year companies rewrite their IT philosophy.
One way or another, it’s going to be an exciting 12 months. What’s your stance on BYOD? Good? Bad? Ugly? Let us know in the comments.
This article was written by Rob Vicars on behalf of iHotdesk, which provides comprehensive, cloud based IT support and BYOD systems in London and beyond.
Is 'bring your own device' good for business?
January 10, 2013
Does anyone in your business have this many devices? (Image: kawanet on Flickr.)
As any marketer should, I watch streams of Twitter hashtags and have Google Alerts set up to monitor topics in my business realm.
For nivio, this means I keep a close eye on #DAAS (desktops as a service) #SMB (small-medium business), #VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) and #BYOD (bring your own device), among others.
Of these feeds, bring your own device is by far the most interesting. Though the concept isn't new - I've been using my personal devices for work in some form for more than a decade - BYOD as a business problem is receiving a lot of media coverage. And, as with most new tech challenges, the coverage is divided on whether BYOD's cost-savings and access benefits really outweigh the security risks.
Your staff want BYOD, and it's happening
Your business is likely already engaging in BYOD. If your staff use personal devices for work, either as their primary system or when they work remotely via laptop, tablet, or smartp hone, your business, too, is part of the BYOD trend. And, you're far from alone: according to a Spiceworks survey (PDF link) more than 75% of small businesses are actively managing personal devices as part of their IT strategy.
But what do small and new business really need to know about BYOD?
Most businesses already support BYOD in the workplace, and if you don't, the chances are your staff are accessing information and files remotely on personal devices anyway.
Having policies in place to limit remote access could be a deterrent and reduce the risks your business faces. However, these require additional IT infrastructure to enforce.
Plus, employees want remote access for flexibility in when, where, and how they work. They want to get information while on the go. And they don't want to juggle a company smart phone and tablet along with their own personal devices.
If not managed properly, BYOD is a security risk
Data security, especially for law, health, and accounting firms, is crucial. Your business needs to ensure information is secure and that you aren't exposed to undue risks by allowing remote access.
You need to integrate employees' own devices into your existing systems, and give your staff support to troubleshoot problems when they occur.
Making BYOD secure
Generally, you have two options for mobile security;
- Mobile device management systems can handle security at individual device level. These are a good fit if your business already has significant in-house IT infrastructure.
- Comprehensive IT management platforms can manage security across all the platforms and devices in your business - including devices owned by your staff.
Is there really a cost saving?
Every business is different, but many companies can see significant cost savings from BYOD.
You'll almost certainly save on hardware costs, and many companies will also save on the software and maintenance costs that go along with running a fleet of devices.
- Trends, risks and benefits of BYOD
- You can't avoid bringing your own device
- The advantages of giving staff more IT choice
Lara Franklin manages content and marketing for nivio, a cloud-based platform providing comprehensive IT infrastructure enabling BYOD and anywhere access for businesses.
Five key risks of bringing your own device
November 05, 2012
Given recent coverage of 'bring your own device' (BYOD), the phenomenon which sees employees using their own IT for work, you could be forgiven that it's open season on IT in the workplace.
There are undoubted benefits from giving staff freedom to choose their own IT equipment. But before you open the floodgates and let tablet computers, iPhones and other gadgets into your company, it's worth considering the downsides too.
James Easton, right, from IT modelling and data visualisation company Real Status, reckons BYOD can create five key issues:
1. Viruses can 'jump the perimeter'
Viruses, malware, spyware and hackers can jump the security perimeter by being brought into the company on an employee's own device. Once inside your business, they may be able to bypass the firewalls that monitor your network.
2. Patch management is trickier
When you have a wide range of devices in your business, it can be hard to apply security updates consistently across all of them. Falling behind with even one update can allow a new virus or piece of malware to slip through undetected.
3. Password security and encryption can be weaker
Every mobile device should have data encryption (to scramble data, keeping it safe if the device is lost), password protection and the ability to lock users out if a password is repeatedly entered incorrectly. However, this is tricky to enforce across a wide range of devices.
4. It's harder to monitor time management
BYOD makes it harder to keep track of staff going onto Facebook and Twitter, or playing with apps which would might normally break your IT policies.
5. Preserving data privacy is difficult
As soon as BYOD becomes TYOD, or 'take your own device,' any data stored on each device is vulnerable. For example, when employees share their devices or passwords with other people, when their devices are lost or stolen or when data is accessed over public Wi-Fi hotspots.
This isn't to say that BYOD is fundamentally flawed. We've explained the benefits before, and there's a certain inevitability to it in any case. It's just a good move to be wise to the risks before you embrace it wholeheartedly.
Trends, risks and benefits of BYOD
October 17, 2012
The ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) trend, where employees use their own IT equipment for work, is here to stay. Embracing it is a big leap for a company, but many find there are significant advantages.
To help you understand the risks and opportunities of BYOD, Digium has produced this infographic.
Is your business embracing BYOD? Do you see it as an opportunity to work more effectively, or a threat to your control?
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