The 7 Best Reasons to Implement BYOD for Enterprises
Bring your own device (BYOD) policies have been around for a long time. Since the rise in popularity of personal devices, organizations have considered and implemented integration plans between their employees’ devices and their own systems. A collaborative study by multiple IT companies surveyed over 800 companies. They found that increased employee mobility (63%), satisfaction (56%) and productivity (55%) dominate as the top drivers of BYOD.
But that hasn’t come without resistance, as many organizations are hesitant about the adoption of BYOD. The same study found that 39% of the surveyed group cited concerns over security, inhibiting BYOD adoption. And understandably so; with a BYOD policy, you must deal with issues such as lost/stolen devices, unsecured Wi-Fi, lack of established anti-virus measures, and more.
Organizations have a few options for taking action on this problem. But before we go over that, let’s take a look at some of the biggest “pros” for implementing BYOD in your enterprise environment.
1. Save money
Naturally, one of the biggest reasons that companies implement BYOD is the savings that they achieve. Without the need to purchase cellular phones for every employee, companies save a considerable amount of money overall. For an up-to-date phone, you can expect to spend somewhere from $200 on the lower end, and up to $800 for higher-end models.
That doesn’t take the cellular plans into account either. Considering that phone plans with a major provider can start at $40 per month (per user), the costs can quickly skyrocket. BYOD can eliminate these costs for your business, leaving you with a bigger budget to allocate wherever your company needs it.
2. Improved productivity
When it comes to their devices, each employee has their own personal preferences. Some may prefer a device with an Android operating system. Others may prefer a device running on an iOS (Apple) platform. And it’s even possible that some prefer a Windows Mobile OS (though we have yet to find these individuals). Regardless of what they prefer, it’s a safe bet that they will be more comfortable using their own device than one you give them.
With their own devices, employees can usually produce higher-quality work at a faster output rate, which boosts productivity as a whole. But why is that? One reason is that switching operating systems or even device interfaces on newer phone versions can be a jarring change, and often takes users a long time to fully adjust. Another reason is that employees are simply more familiar with the options and features of their own device. Lastly, some people find it hard to keep up with two devices to separate work from personal activity during expanded hours and remote working situations.
3. Increased employee responsiveness
Not all of the reasons have trackable ROI. Implementing a BYOD policy does more than save money and improve productivity; it gives your employees more freedom. It proves to your employees that your company really trusts them as individuals.
There may not be any measurable ROI, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t benefits to this for your business. People carry around their devices with them at all hours of the day, everywhere they go. For you, that means that you have an employee that is always connected to work, should the need arise. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be working all the time, but it means that they’ll have an increased rate of responsiveness if duty calls after hours.
4. Up-to-date devices
Let’s face it – even if you purchased the newest model of a device this year, newer ones would release within a matter of months. In a real-world scenario, your company would constantly struggle to get the newest devices with the latest and greatest features.
Leaving the devices up to the employees can save your company a considerable amount of money and churn. With provider incentives commonly offered to mobile consumers, most people can keep up with the latest devices more easily than a company ever could, especially since they don’t have to adhere to IT-inventory-refresh budget schedules. These newer devices will come with newer features and better-operating systems, which translates to more productivity and better built-in security protocols.
5. Keep it cloud-focused
In the modern business landscape, cloud-based applications are becoming synonymous with success. Around 90% of organizations use the cloud in some way, with 50% using cloud services as their preferred solution.
BYOD policies go hand-in-hand with these cloud services. Most leading-edge applications support mobile devices, which means that your employees will have access to their advanced work tools at any given time. By using BYOD, you facilitate the transition to the solutions of the future.
6. Flexibility for all
What some business fail to account for is that even with company equipment, employees will still have their own devices. In essence, you’re just doubling the number of devices that they have to carry with them at any given time.
But with BYOD, you don’t have to worry about that. Any work that needs to be done can be completed from anywhere and on a single device, securely and conveniently. Your employees don’t have to worry about strict regulations for dealing with company property. BYOD gives your employees (and yourself) a greater flexibility to work in whatever manner is most effective.
7. One less thing to manage
Time is money. Though largely overused, the adage undeniably rings true. When you provide your employees with devices, you’re putting the burden of maintenance on yourself. This upkeep can take lots of time away from people that could be working on more productive areas of your business.
On the other hand, BYOD frees you from this additional oversight. The management of the device is left up to the user … which can be both promising and problematic. Their device will hold critical company data and access sensitive company information. So, the choice that you face is as follows:
If your company manages every device, they waste precious time. If the user manages their own, they may compromise important company data.
There’s really no need to panic. There is a viable third option.
Mobile device management by DMS Technology
At the beginning of this whitepaper, we discussed that the majority of people that don’t implement BYOD make this choice due to concerns with security. And, as you just read, there’s still the matter of who actually manages the devices. The solution to both, however, is simple: partner with us for our Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution.
Our MDM service allows us to secure your company data, even if it’s on an employee’s phone. We can manage security threats, establish rules and regulations around applications, ensure training support and even cut off access to programs and features as you see fit. In essence, we’ll custom-tailor a reliable and seamless mobile experience for your employees.
If you’re interested in learning more about how MDM ties into BYOD, take a look at our service page. Or, if you’re ready to have a more in-depth conversation about our MDM service, feel free to contact us.
