March 20th 2017
BYOD IN THE WORKPLACE | BENEFITS & DISADVANTAGES
WHAT IS BYOD?
BYOD stands for ‘Bring your own device’, which is the action in which employees bring their own devices for use in the workplace. Workers can use their own devices, such as mobile phones and laptops to access company information and applications.
In this blog article, I will go through the advantages and disadvantages of a BYOD scheme for businesses. Towards the end of the blog, there will be a summarised table going through the benefits and issues, as well as a few links to government websites giving guidance on the topic.
BYOD BENEFITS
- As a business, you could make huge savings as workers will bring their own devices, cutting down on hardware cost.
- As a bonus, most devices that workers bring are better than what was originally provided.
- Employees will feel more comfortable and satisfied by using their own devices leading to increased morale and work productivity.
- Employees will be able to work at home if they’re unable to come into work, or in any location.
BYOD ISSUES
- One of the biggest disadvantages of a BYOD policy is that there is a risk to security. Employee devices won’t have the advanced security measurements that your office hardware may have. Sensitive data could be at risk.
- One issue is that company information and applications will need to be compatible on employee devices, adding cost. In the office, all devices may be strictly Windows PC’s whereas employees may have Mac devices that may not work with company files and applications.
- You also have little to no access to your workers’ devices, meaning you have no real way to monitor how company information is handled or used. Now imagine if an employee holding sensitive company information loses their device on the bus, for example, or if they no longer work for you. Still, there’s no knowing what someone is going to do with that information.
- With a BYOD policy, you are putting pressure on your employees to bring devices. What if they don’t want to bring their own devices into work or they don’t have any so they need to buy them? Employees will have to spend even more money on replacing lost or damaged devices.
- Policies will need to be made and employees must agree with them.
SUMMARY TABLE – BYOD IN THE WORKPLACE – BENEFITS AND ISSUES
|
BYOD Benefits |
BYOD Issues |
|
Huge cost savings |
Risk of security breaches |
|
Employees are satisfied |
Compatibility problems - Cost |
|
Employees can work wherever |
No control over employee devices |
|
Devices usually more advanced |
Pressure on employees |
|
Policies must be made and be agreed on |
BYOD in the Workplace - Further research