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Garnering BYOD success before (and after) you open the door
When companies open the “bring-your-own-device” door, it seems like it should be the perfect win-win situation. And it can be. People get to use their favorite devices and are more satisfied as a result; meanwhile, companies benefit from cost-savings on devices they otherwise would not wish to spend money on.
But like all business planning decisions, BYOD needs proper prior planning. Companies can’t simply change the rules without the right policies and tools in place; failure to do so means that the BYOD environment can quickly cause security and management problems that are accompanied by a host of hidden costs.
Experience shows that there are six simple rules to follow to ensure the smooth and successful introduction of BYOD and its ongoing use throughout an organization. These guidelines cover policy, security and management, and smart companies have these rules and tools all in place before opening the door.
Strike the balance
It may seem obvious but the people within your organization have different and potentially competing interests in terms of devices. The IT department wants to maintain control, the business lines search for increased productivity and the staff themselves – well, sometimes the boys and girls just wanna have fun using the latest and greatest devices. Your challenge is to strike the right balance, establishing a policy and an environment that allows all those interests to coexist in harmony. Recognizing that goal is the starting point; following the next five rules helps to deliver it.
Think device management
The BYOD environment has one inevitable consequence. Your IT department will now have to support multiple mobile operating platforms – Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Windows and Android in all its many and varied configurations. If you don’t recognize this in advance, it can increase the IT team’s workload and create additional hidden costs. Happily, there is a range of device management tools available that can provide a single dashboard for monitoring and managing devices across all the major mobile platforms – even automatically distributing firmware and app upgrades to all devices, whether company-owned or private.
Don’t confuse business and personal tools
If your staff finds that accessing or storing company information through their mobile device is difficult, they will start to look for workarounds and adopt personal cloud storage services like Dropbox, iCloud or Google for company information. This presents an obvious security risk if sensitive information is stored outside the company framework. So right up front, choose a mobile-friendly content management system that is easy to use but has strong security to prevent data leakage or sensitive company information residing in multiple unsecure locations.
Plan for future developments
Mobile devices are no longer simply phones or mobile e-mail terminals. They are often a key component of the way a business operates, extending desktop functionality to the mobile device. Part of this evolution demands that users are able to run customer care solutions and services via their smartphones and tablets. When companies decide to develop custom business apps, they typically require at least $20,000 per app per platform. This means that a multiplatform environment can automatically carry an additional cost, especially when you consider the ongoing expense of maintenance across multiple platforms. However, some app development platforms can slash those costs through cross-operating system capabilities and drag-and-drop interfaces to automate many of the processes and reduce the need for specialized skills.
Allow choice, but enforce control
Just because you are allowing your staff to choose their own device doesn’t mean you can allow total freedom over the way it is used. Employees can’t be allowed to ignore or circumvent security policies. Your device management solution should allow the IT department to create, manage and enforce policies while maintaining the freedom of choice of the users. It’s possible, for example, to control which applications are used at different times of the day, to block devices with unauthorized software modifications or be notified if an app is downloaded that is identified as a security threat.
Seek secure connections – and save money
As operators phase out all-you-can-eat mobile data bundles, enterprises of every size are encouraging their staff to use Wi-Fi wherever possible. But not all Wi-Fi connections come with the same level of security. Ensure that your devices access networks that offer security through end-to-end encryption and block access to unknown free networks that may allow hackers to access critical information. Also consider getting a Wi-Fi plan from your carrier network. Plans are often cheaper than having employees buy day-passes from a preferred supplier; and with a plan in place, the device will automatically find and connect to a safe network.
So that’s it. Companies that follow these six simple rules will lay the foundation for the successful implementation of BYOD. It’s all about planning, controlling and managing the flexibility to maintain security, minimize cost and maximize choice.
Photo copyright: stocking / 123RF Stock Photo
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