BYOD policies have become a common fixture, particularly in larger organisations, and seem set to stay. Despite concerns about security breaches, governance issues, device management and a range of other possible complications, businesses’ perception seems to be that the benefits outweigh the potential issues. Indeed, a recent survey of BYOD trends revealed that adoption rates were at 36 percent at the beginning of 2017 and expected to rise to almost 50 percent by the start of 2018.
According to research, it is estimated that the average worker can save 81 minutes per week in productivity by using a personal device at work. Further, 78 percent of employees claim BYOD policies support an improved work-life balance. Adding the improved employee benefits to the company’s financial incentives, the same study reported the average employee on a BYOD plan saves the business around £1,000 every year in device and software maintenance costs. it’s easy to see why companies are keen to implement BYOD.
The current state of BYOD is a long way from perfect. However, new innovations in practice and technology are helping businesses to work towards a better way of working where employees can use their personal devices to boost productivity, minimise costs and minimise security risks.
Using AI for Improved security
Security is a big challenge companies implementing BYOD. High risk user behaviour is the most common cause of security breaches. However, IT support departments can also be overloaded by the number of different devices, operating systems and software versions which need to be dealt with simultaneously. Fortunately, the security situation for BYOD continues to evolve, with leading security brands adopting machine learning and AI strategies to uncover undetected malware and vulnerabilities. This won’t be sufficient to completely remove the threat of security breaches but it does mean significant improvement and that 2018 will be a much better place for BYOD security.
Endpoint Management for BYOD
Although full endpoint management technology is still trying to gain a share of the market and is not quite mainstream yet, 2018 is likely to see a huge spike in solution adopters. Unified endpoint management solutions offer the ability to manage mobile and desktop devices side-by-side, as well as other IT assets. This can also include inventory management solutions. This is attractive for its ability to simplify complex IT management processes, making endpoint management all the more appealing for organisations that need to manage devices on a large scale.
The best endpoint management solutions will also offer greater flexibility for software integration by working with work with popular apps and software to provide a comprehensive solution for those services on a wide range of devices. Implementing an endpoint management solution does not dismiss companies from developing their own device policies and investing in reliable security measures that stay up-to-date on the latest threats. However, it may be the best solution for a company that is struggling to manage its BYOD environment alongside other IT support workload.
Managed Costs with Cloud Services
The equipment cost associate with BYOD is considerably lower than enterprise-owned device networks. That said, there are still costs to consider. Increasingly, solutions are providing BYOD support and services through the cloud, offering scalable services that are more cost-effective and don’t come with any additional hardware or security to manage.
The cloud is also being seen as a solution to provide better data storage for remote workers. This approach has two main benefits. Workers gain access to storage space which is not restricted by their device specifications. The cloud also provides an extra layer of security for data. It could become the go-to storage destination for sensitive business data that requires personal device access but needs more security than an individual device can offer.
Many companies feel BYOD is a good option for flexibility and growth. Given the multipronged efforts taking place to build better BYOD software and security, you can expect enterprise adoption to continue growing for some time yet.