Embrace BYOD, or risk your staff Just Passing Through

We will look back on 2014 as the tipping point for BYOD (Bring your own device). Both employees and business leaders now see its value, with almost half of companies having a BYOD policy in place, and 36% developing one. BYOD isn’t just about allowing employees to use the latest smart device, productivity is one of the main drivers. According to Ovum, over 50% of employees think that they would be better able to do their jobs if they could access business applications and emails outside of official working hours. The same research also found that almost 57% of full-time employees access corporate data from a personally owned smartphone or tablet.

Can you afford to ignore BYOD?

The momentum behind BYOD is growing. Recent research from VMware and Vanson Bourne shows just how much working practices are changing from the days when we all had standard issue desktops, 39% of workers said they would consider leaving their job if they couldn’t use their personal mobile device for work. What business could cope with the loss of over a third of its workforce?  Suddenly, it’s a case of BYOD, or being faced with your employees JPT (Just Passing Through).
But what about security?

For the majority of companies, security is still the top consideration when it comes to allowing new devices into the workplace. The growing demand for mobility and BYOD poses a challenge for the IT department, which must balance giving access to the applications that end users need to do their jobs, with the need to keep data secure and management costs low.

So, how can the IT department keep the business and employees happy, while at the same time ensure a high level of security and manageable costs?

Policy is key

Many companies are tolerating the use of tablets and smartphones without implementing any sort of policy, while, at the same time highlighting that such practices are a high security risk. But even the most well-crafted policy is useless without the means of enforcing and monitoring it. Platforms and services must be in place to enable both access control mechanisms and ensure compliance.

To address these issues, while still providing an excellent end-user experience, Colt has launched Workspace as a Service. We have learned how providing such services go way beyond technology from delivering to 2000 of our own VDI users internally, and from customers such as Hammersmith & Fulham Council in the UK, where we have helped enable BYOD, increased mobility and flexibility, and managed a Capex reduction at the same time. 

BYOD and workspace mobility is a reality. Balancing end-user productivity with policy and security is a skill – but with Workspace as a Service, the balance is being achieved and (we’re pretty sure) employees are enjoying the experience.

Additional information on Colt´s Workspace as a Service can be found HERE.