BYOD: The Changing Landscape of Mobile Device Use

Jun 13, 2013 12:22:28 PM

By Dan DiGiacomo

As mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have proliferated, becoming an indispensible part of nearly every information worker’s arsenal for emailing, printing and sharing documents, more and more organizations are exploring the possibilities of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. Under a BYOD policy, an organization allows employees to use their own mobile devices for work purposes, rather than adhering to a corporate standard that requires all employees to utilize the same work-provided device. The BYOD craze was adopted by many organizations over the past year, with 35% of all finance and insurance companies reportedly adopting some form of BYOD in 2012, according to a report by Good Technology. So far, most companies jumping into the BYOD world are reportedly larger, enterprise-level organizations, although some smaller companies are testing out BYOD environments as well.

While seemingly a simple solution for both mobile workers and their employers, it’s a policy that has generated a great deal of debate over the past year, with many weighing in on both benefits and drawbacks to consider before moving forward with a BYOD plan.

COST

In many cases, an organization can save money by allowing employees to select and purchase their own mobile device for work use, since it eliminates the cost of providing mobile devices across the board, which could be $200 or more per device every two to three years. Additionally, since employees may cover the cost of their own mobile phone and data plans as well as insurance for the devices, some studies have shown that organizations could stand to save as much as $1,000 per employee each year.
Of course, this puts the onus of footing the bill onto an employee. In some cases, an organization will elect to subsidize an employee’s mobile device or monthly costs or offer a stipend to defray an employee’s costs, which could result in a savings for an organization over purchasing a large number of mobile devices as well as being helpful for employees. Allowing employees to use devices they may already be familiar with could also result in greater efficiency and productivity. However, another cost for organizations to consider is the extra security requirements and administrator intervention required with ensuring that a fleet of varied mobile devices integrates fully with a company’s existing output devices and data ecosystems.

SOFTWARE INTEGRATION AND SECURITY

The mobile landscape is a varied one, with user preferences spread across a number of operating systems, including Apple iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows RT, to name a few. In BYOD situations, an IT group should begin by evaluating which operating systems are supported by the organization, and work toward device support based on that decision, since supporting all systems may not be possible or prudent. Fortunately, many OEMs have delivered support for mobile printing across multiple operating systems, simplifying an administrator’s job ensuring print capability. Most tested single-user mobile print apps, including HP ePrint, Canon Mobile Print, Kyocera Mobile Print, and Konica Minolta Pagescope, are available for multiple operating systems, and many enterprise-level mobile print solutions, such as EFI PrintMe Mobile, provide support for printing via email, expanding its base of supported devices.
Another concern with personal employee usage is the potential for malware or hacking of mobile devices. For instance, a Government Accountability Office report showed a 185% increase in mobile malware between July 2011 and May 2012, which could be of particular concern for enterprises dealing in sensitive user data or documents.

Many organizations turn to MDM (mobile device management) as a way to manage the security risks of a BYOD program. With an MDM product, an organization can automatically push its BYOD policy —and updates to that policy—to devices remotely. This ensures that all devices have VPN settings and passcodes enforced, and can prevent the installation of new, possibly unauthorized apps.

Perhaps the most important key to security in a BYOD environment is clear messaging to employees regarding an organization’s policy regarding device usage where it pertains to company data and information. A good policy can mitigate security risk and help employees understand the limits of their mobile device use in regards to the separation of personal and work information.

PRIVACY

Organizations should consider the legal rights of employees who employ their own mobile devices in both a professional and personal capacity. An employee who utilizes a corporate-owned smartphone or tablet can be subject to restrictions and limitations on personal usage, but the same policies won’t work in a BYOD situation. Such topics as monitoring of email messages, internet usage and file transfers should be something an organization clarifies to its employees before enacting a BYOD policy, as well as a plan for data wiping in cases of termination or employee departure.

Some developers, such as VMware, are creating solutions to keeping business and personal data separate on a given device based on different profiles. VMware’s Horizon Mobile software, compatible with Android OS-based mobile devices, utilizes dual persona technology to create two OS instances, one for business use and the other for personal use. Such solutions could help both organizations and employees maintain a secure separation of potentially sensitive data.

THE FUTURE

While a shift to BYOD may be a radical change from the traditional working relationship of an organization providing computers and devices to its employees, research by Gartner suggests that half of all companies will adopt some form of BYOD environment by 2017. With the continued growth of mobile device capability, the expanded development of mobile apps, and increased flexibility required by employees, all organizations should prepare for a possible future move to BYOD by analyzing mobile device usage and measuring whether it could be more cost efficient and foster increased productivity.