What is BYOD: Bring Your Own Device

[Acorn Newsbot]

Laptops and Smartphone’s. Tablet Devices versus iPads versus Blackberry’s. Android or iPhone? Nokia or Samsung? Technology in the office these days can be a minefield.

No sooner do you feel you’ve finally got your head around the latest piece of telephone-based gadgetry when an update at work or new phone service provider means a business-wide amnesty of all company handsets and a half-hearted flick through the replacement model’s instruction booklet.

It’s just the same with computers. You start falling in love with a trusted PC, having only just discovered all those clever things it can do with Excel and PowerPoint. Then an updated model lands on your desk in line with a new business protocol.

It can be fantastically frustrating; especially when it comes to moving all those bookmarks and re-finding all those much needed log-ins and URLs.

http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/jargon-buster/url Why not bring your own devices in then?

Why not indeed? The term BYOD or bring your own device has been gaining momentum and popularity amongst businesses over the past few years.

Surprisingly, you might not know that 90% of employees use some form of their own technology, albeit with a limited capability in the workplace.

BYOD first entered the technological arena around four years ago thanks to Intel. They recognised that an increasing amount of their workers were already using their own phones and computers in some capacity. Instead of issuing a blanket ban they decided to do the opposite, and employees were invited to link their own devices into the company’s corporate networks.

In 2011 multinational software company Citrix Systems along with American global information technology Unisys Corporation went public with their opinions on the BYOD trend and just last year the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington adopted a BYOD policy.

Interestingly a lot of employees chose to stick with their Government Issue BlackBerrys, citing concern over billing and incompatible alternative handsets as the reason.

What’s the plus side of BYOD?

One obvious pro for BYOD is as a company cost saving exercise. With no need to procure hundreds of handsets for workers a BYOP (bring your own phone) policy could be viewed as an easy way to cut down on expenditure.

With individuals owning the actual handsets there is an argument that they will be more careful as responsibility for paying to replace them will no longer lie with their employers. Also, because people tend to upgrade their handsets on a yearly basis, businesses could take advantage of new technologies faster.

Morale boosting

A company that adopts BYOD, or BYOT (bring your own technology) as it’s also referred to, could be seen as a flexible modern thinking employer.

People are now looking towards employers who can give them choice and control in the technology they prefer to use. There is a strong argument that a happy employee using equipment they understand and like will be far more productive than somebody disgruntled and struggling on an inferior machine.

Is BlackBerry becoming the black sheep?

Maybe the BYOD debate has opened up because not everyone is enthralled by BlackBerry anymore.

Ten years ago, BlackBerry was the upper echelon for business brilliance. Fast forward to 2013 and reputational damage from the Instant Messenger functionality that gave rise to the riots, along with technological updates which felt clunky and poorly executed, has seen BlackBerry suffering from a poor harvest of corporate customers.

Nokia and iPhone are now grabbing much more of the market share when it comes to businesses. Ease of use has increased and iPhones have become much more integrated into other business operating systems.

Won’t BYOD cause a lot of problems?

Not necessarily, as long as a business puts the right plans and protocol in place. Without proper manning it could mean data loss but this can occur in any situation. It’s not best practice to share any sensitive information via any sort of handheld device and all technology engaged for work purposes should have standard login and password functions.

It all depends on the industry. You can’t imagine a global financial services company introducing a BTOD policy or any government departments aligned with defence. But given that you should trust employees why shouldn’t a BYOD way of working work for you?

Cutting through the jargon

• BYOD – Bring your own device
• BYOP - Bring your own phone
• BYOPC - Bring your own PC
• BYOT - Bring your own technology

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