How BYOD Already Helps Businesses

How BYOD Already Helps Businesses and the Trends to Watch for 2016

With mobile Internet users expected to top 2 billion devices in 2016, it is no surprise that BYOD is a business trend that has taken off. BYOD is already helping businesses in key ways, and BYOD benefits and policies will continue to evolve in 2016.

However, BYOD can have a dark side that ultimately harms businesses instead of helping. Here are the things to keep in mind for all things BYOD in 2016.

BYOD Business Benefits

The immediately apparent benefit of BYOD policy is that it shifts the burden of cost to the user (the employee). Given that a cell phone bill can often run upwards of $80 per month, businesses save significant capital by letting the employee cover those costs.

While it might seem that employees would object to such a policy, the opposite is true. Employees typically love BYOD policies since employees have the smartphone or laptop they already own for a reason. Namely, they enjoy using the device.

Users will also typically buy cutting-edge phones and laptops for their own personal use, which can provide businesses with a performance advantage they would not otherwise have. Even better, tech enthusiast employees will upgrade to the latest technology more frequently than the typical company refresh would, which means the business can stay current without incurring costs.

Given these benefits, it stands to reason that BYOD will only continue to grow in 2016. Here are some of the trends to look for in the years ahead.

BYOD Trends to Watch

When BYOD started, it was often considered a privilege in the workplace. In 2016 and beyond, expect such policies to become required. Some experts believe that around half of the world’s employers will require employees to bring their own devices in 2016. Along those same lines, it is likely that fewer businesses will fully reimburse employee costs for personal device use.

Additionally, expect BYOD to have a new look in coming years. While BYOD devices were traditionally phones and tablets, the Internet of Things has broadened the possibility of BYOD. Wearable devices such as smartwatches, sensors and monitors can all play a role into a company’s BYOD policy and strategy.

Finally, it will become increasingly important for businesses to develop a comprehensive BYOD strategy. Businesses will need to create constant guidelines, strategies and requirements for BYOD use. Otherwise, businesses open themselves up to the risks inherent to BYOD use.

The Downsides to BYOD

For all the benefits BYOD policies provide, they are not without risk. Businesses who have not adopted BYOD frequently cite their concerns about BYOD security, and their concerns are warranted.

When many devices are accessing business data, crucial business insights are more open to attacks than ever before. While the convenience of BYOD has always come with security risks, those risks only increase when more businesses adopt BYOD policies without implementing effective security measures.

Businesses who decide to tap into the rapidly growing BYOD culture must understand the security threats inherent to BYOD. As a result, it will be easier to create vigilant BYOD policies and security policies to address BYOD security risks.

Wavestone US has helped CIOs, IT leaders, CEOs, and boards of directors assess and transform their IT strategic frameworks, governance structures, and operational processes to meet the sometimes competing demands of the business and emerging trends in IT. We adopt a pragmatic approach to implementing new IT capabilities that balances future needs with short-term improvements and benefits. Many IT transformations are designed to be self-funding, with subsequent phases exploiting the success of prior investments and improvements.

To learn more about what Wavestone US can do for your company, visit https://www.wavestone.us/capabilities/.