Bring your own device has divided the opinion like nothing else. The employees just cannot get enough of it while the corporates are skeptical about its viability and sustainability. When the concept was devised the companies saw an opportunity to bring down the expenditure while the employees thought they could work on their own favorite mean machine. Seemed like a win-win situation and then the lightning struck. Honeymoon ended and everybody started seeing the flaws which earlier were blatantly ignored.
In a nutshell it can be said that the success of BYOD depends upon the environment in which it is being used. If a bank deploys the method it will surely fail while on the other hand a software development firm is an ideal environment for BYOD to flourish.
For a layman there is more good to BYOD than bad but every firm does not work according to the vision of a layman.
Here are some of the undeniable pros of the much revered concept:
1. Prudent Cost Cutting Technique
Where there is good there is cost savings. With the financial conditions far from being ideal, BYOD along with cloud computing comes as a savior for the corporates.
BYOD enables firms to ask their employees to buy their own machine rather than providing one. It considerably brings down the cost expenditure and stress levels that come with zeroing upon the correct tool.
Indirectly it also increases employee productivity, as now they are working with a device they actually like rather than some random piece of metal provided by the firm.
2. Longevity of Equipment
It does not matter how much we deny it, but is humane to mistreat others device and use ours with care. With the employment of BYOD, the devices are liable to run longer as they belong to the workers instead to the arrogant management of the company. So, next time you hit enter key, do it with utmost care.
3. Improved Management
We all have faced the hassle of managing two devices. A work phone and a personal one on which we get our calls. With BYOD this hassle is torn to shreds as the workers have only one device to handle.
Moreover with a new machine there is a certain period of time in which we get used to it. With the amazingness of BYOD in place, that time is also reduced to zero. It cannot get better than this.
4. Cutting Edge Technology Always at your Disposal
No one likes to work with a processor made in year 2000 and a RAM of 128 MB. In order to work with utmost efficiency workers will buy themselves a good machine, meaning the office would be buzzing with latest technologies.
With constant up gradation and maintenance gone for good, the IT team would be able to concentrate more on core processes rather than catering to employee’s needless questions.
The benefits mentioned above depict only the half of the picture. The other side of the coin is a grim one and something every firm should fear and care about.
Here are the points that make BYOD a complete no-no for any company.
1. Anything But Secure
If your employee is able to take with him everything he has worked upon, you can make out how secure BYOD is. Moreover the cases of theft and loss among portable devices are not an uncommon thing. If the lost device gets into the hands of a notorious guy, most of the data will get compromised.
2. Employee has to bear the cost
Though it may sound tempting for you to take your own device to work, some employees are not capable enough to buy a device that would serve their needs. In such a scenario they feel hard done by.
Moreover the quality and type of device creates a discrepancy amongst the employees which in creates a bad working atmosphere.
3. Resignation
Ever wondered what happens when an employee leaves the office? Does his device gets confiscated or does he surrender the device? Does his machine still contain data? All these questions put up a big argument as to whether the BYOD should be incorporated or not.
And if the employee goes onto join a rival company then BYOD backfires like nothing else.
Conclusion
BYOD was touted as the concept that would make SMBs punch above their weight but the flaws in it made it impossible for companies to accept it unanimously. However, some companies have very successfully employed the technique but the success stories are far and between.
There are some measure which if taken can make BYOD an outright success like not allowing the storage of data on portable device; create the data pools for specific sets and restricting the access to such pools. These measures along with some more can reinvigorate BYOD but with no guarantee.
Author Bio: Josephine Clark is a Cloud and Mobile Technology enthusiast and an avid writer. Other than working at QuickBooksHosting DotCom, she actively participates in various forum discussions, writing blogs and articles on topics like latest mobile apps, updates of Operating systems, Cloud hosting services such as QuickBooks hosting, etc.