The impact of BYOD on your business

Do your employees use their own computer equipment in their work for your company?

If so, you are practicing BYOD!

As we will see, this practice, whose acronym is "Bring your own device", has been developing strongly for several years. It is a real trend, which comes with advantages and disadvantages for your company.

‍

According to a US study, more than 70% of IT managers approve of BYOD and 96% of respondents believe that the use of personal computers is increasing in the workplace.

Let's go through the concept and its concrete implications for your company!

‍

‍

Definition and origins of the BYOD concept

Definition of BYOD

The BYOD strategy is to tolerate, or encourage, an organization's employees to use their own personal electronic devices (smartphones, tablets or laptops), for the purpose ofperforming work tasks, rather than using company-provided devices.

‍

In French, the concept translates as "Bring Your Own Communication Equipment" (or AVEC).

‍

POCE and CEPO, what are they?

Other related concepts are linked to BYOD and help clarify things:

• Personally owned, company enabled (POCE): here, the employee uses his own hardware, but it is managed by the company in terms of software and security;
• Corporate-owned, personally enabled (COPE): in this case, it is the opposite system: the company owns the hardware and makes it available to the employee. The employee is responsible for installing the software necessary for his or her work.

‍

The origins and history of the concept

The concept of BYOD is quite recent.

‍

First used in 2004, it did not become public knowledge until 2009, when the giant Intel used it to describe the trend at work within its own teams.

Fun trivia: BYOD is a play on words based on the 1970s acronym BYOB, which stands for "Bring Your Own Beer" and is more applicable to student parties than to the business context 🙂

‍

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Bring Your Own Device?

The benefits of BYOD

As an employer, by deploying a pro-BYOD policy, you give a positive and attractive image to your teams and to candidates for recruitment. This improves your employer brand.

BYOD would also be a positive factor for productivity, as your employees work on their own machines and therefore do not have to waste time learning about the equipment provided by your company.

Note also that the renewal rate of equipment is generally higher in BYOD, because companies have longer renewal cycles than employees. Your company benefits from more recent equipment.

‍

BYOD also comes with a real cost savings, as your company simply doesn't need to buy hardware!

And if, like the Rzilient team, you are committed to the future of our planet, you should know that BYOD fits perfectly into a Green IT approach.

Indeed, it allows a reduction of the digital footprint of your company, by avoiding the duplication of the computer park. Indeed, your employees already have (in the overwhelming majority of cases) a computer equipment perfectly adapted to their professional needs.

On the employee's side, BYOD also brings a financial advantage (and therefore a motivation boost), as companies usually offer financial compensation for the use of personal equipment.

‍

The disadvantages of BYOD

These advantages should not make you lose sight of the existence of disadvantages to BYOD. Anticipating them can avoid serious problems!

‍

First, BYOD opens the door to cybersecurity issues.

Loss and theft of sensitive data can occur more easily, as employees generally apply security measures that are less effective than those recommended by cybersecurity experts.

‍

Mistakes can also be made, especially if close relatives (e.g. family members) use the equipment, or if the employee resells the computer equipment and forgets to delete the access and data.

‍

To better control these risks, check out our article on best practices related to deprovisioning during offboarding! 👇

‍

Another drawback to keep in mind is smartphones and the phone numbers associated with them.

When an employee leaves your company, it usually concerns his or her phone number and this can be problematic, especially for certain functions: managers, salespeople, etc. The follow-up of prospects and customers becomes more difficult in this context!

‍

There are also disadvantages of BYOD at the organizational level, in terms of equipment management:

• Low adaptability of the computer park;
• Non-existent scalability;
• Lack of uniformity and standardization of installed equipment and software. The company's IT department finds itself having to manage a wide variety of different configurations, which wastes time and generates costs.

‍

A final disadvantage is the financial compensation of the employee for the use of his personal equipment. The French law does not impose anything, but it is common practice to compensate the employee.

‍

‍

Best practices in relation to BYOD

Securing your data

To ensure that your company's sensitive data is not put at risk in the case of tolerating or encouraging BYOD, here are some important practices to implement:

• Implementation of a solid security policy ;
• Systematic data encryption ;
• Use of security software (antivirus) on all machines;
• Good management of the deprovisioning, when the employee leaves.

‍

To go further, consult the BYOD best practices recommended by the CNIL.

‍

The implementation of an internal policy dedicated to BYOD

The adoption of good practices by your teams also requires concrete actions:

• Clear and effective communication to employees on the practices to adopt;
• Regular training and awareness actions ;
• Regular evaluation of the BYOD policy, in a continuous improvement process.

‍

BYOD is unavoidable. Managing it well is possible!

As we've seen, BYOD can make your business more attractive, more productive, and help you save a lot of money, all while participating in the green transition. How to resist 🙂

But let's not forget that this strategy also comes with real risks. 

We help you master and leverage BYOD with dedicated processes on our Rzilient Managed Services platform.