Bring your own device (BYOD) or Bring your own technology (BYOT) is
not a new concept in the work environment. Majority companies are now
providing the option for employees to use their own laptops, notebooks
and mobiles to the workplace.
Employees exercising this freedom are proven to have greater
productivity level, according to a study by the International Data
Center. They can upgrade, install and set their devices as they choose
rather than being bound by company procedures. Plus, employees find
relief at not being ‘burdened’ with company assets, which they perceive
as more of a liability, where employees feel the risk of paying for loss
or damages to company devices too high a price to pay.
On the other hand, BYOD employees do not receive IT support either and instead depend on coworker to resolve their device related issues.
Advantages outweigh, not to mention monetary savings on IT devices. Small sized companies view this in a positive light, given their limited resources.
The increasing practice can mainly be attributed to the innovation of the Smartphone, and more so with Smartphone apps, especially those offered by iPhone and Android. This may be a consequential factor in the increased use of business apps as well, as recorded in a Nielson study stating “the average number of apps per Smartphone has jumped from 32 apps to 41, among people who use an iPhone or an Android phone.”
But the main concerns that IT staff has to constantly contend with are security breach between employer/employee data and malware from external devices.
As app users increase, so does malware. The most common solution is presumed to be sandboxing in application download. Unfortunately, it does not guarantee malware prevention altogether, as Guardian demonstrated how some viruses come through apps even when mobile companies sandbox them. To what extent such apps are prevalent is uncertain, but apparently, if it isn’t malware then app developers have to deal with drive-by downloads. Even as mobile companies seek to provide updates, attackers tend to outpace them with new ways. While it may be managed with single, personal devices, it is far more challenging when it spreads within the entire intra network in companies.
Companies expect employees to abide by restrictions when it comes to downloads, but controlling individuals’ technology is certainly a time consuming micromanagement that most just prefer to ignore.
As mentioned, despite the odds, BYOD’s popularity is a success in the business world, especially now that the web is deeply integrated with mobile platform, this trend will continue.
This post originally appeared on Socialjitney.
