The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon has over the last few years gone from an abstract concept to a conundrum discussed at the highest levels of business. TechSmart Business asked two corporate companies for insight into the trend, and how they currently deal with the fact that more and more employees prefer to use their own devices.

Business Connexion - Driven by Innovation

Eric Stokes, business unit manager of mobile applications at Business Connexion, notes that in response to the acceleration of the trend, Business Connexion has seen a massive number of new Mobile Device Management (MDM) vendors entering the market. “One of the challenges was that most of these vendors had similar offerings. But there is a shift in the market as vendors have started innovating in the face of competition and are bringing out excellent new features.” This is good news for corporates wrestling with the challenges associated with implementing policies and procedures around BYOD and the workplace. 

According to Stokes, the challenge with BYOD is understanding all the different aspects of this concept and where they fit in. Stokes believes that this essentially means that BYOD is no longer just about trying to use MDM to manage people’s devices, since Mobile Application Management, Mobile Information Management and Mobile Content Management need to be incorporated for an Enterprise Mobility Management solution to succeed. “You now have a lot of people that need to access your data and you will never have control over their devices. So you need to look at securing the application, the data and the files. Which solution you use will vary because you may use one solution for a particular situation or you might use all of them for another,” he continued.

Improves productivity

When implementing a solution for end users, Business Connexion has found that there is no single solution which covers all the bases. “There is no one size fits all solution, so we find that it is vital to customise each particular service offering to the company in question. We encourage clients to use the solution that best fits their need.”

It would seem that there are numerous problems associated with BYOD but, in the end, do the benefits outweigh the associated complications? According to Stokes, the short answer is yes. “Implementing the right mobile strategy, can improve the responsiveness of employees and partners, increase productivity and engage employees in new ways from any location, while still keeping data and systems secure.”

Going forward, Stokes believes that the BYOD trend and the mobile workforce will change the way IT departments work. “Employees are becoming consumers and expect business apps to work the way any other app in the store would work. IT and business will need to simplify their approach and make sure that they can support these new trends, expectations and evolving employees.”

Business Connexion says: 

1. Make sure you spend enough time assessing and understanding your landscape.

2. Put effort into proper planning for your  implementation.

3. Change management is key in ensuring a successful roll out.

4. Simplify your applications and make sure you  only provide relevant processes and information to mobile users. A mobile user  does not need to see the full ERP system.

FNB - Driven by Demand

FNB chief information security officer Grant Hasset, takes us through the end user experience when it comes to implementing a BYOD strategy. In Hasset’s opinion, the BYOD explosion is primarily due to the flexibility it offers companies and employees alike and the promise of cost savings. The dynamic flexibility of BYOD does however bring about new complexities that have to be managed accordingly. “From a corporate point of view, management and control of mobile devices need to be a lot tighter, since when it comes to security, personal devices are often open with little restrictions. This results in conflict between the management and security requirements of corporate versus personal device usage.”

A cautious approach

This means corporates walk a tight line between personal freedom of the employee with regards to the private content on the device and the benefits attached to implementing a BYOD policy. The question therefore needs to be asked - how does FNB manage the BYOD trend? “We are aware of the added complexity that needs to be managed correctly to avoid safety and security risks and counteraction of BYOD benefits. As a result we are taking a cautious approach and are introducing BYOD slowly until such time that we are able to manage the corporate requirements of an open and unmanaged device without introducing significant complexity and risks. It is with this in mind that we do not currently discourage nor actively encourage the use of BYOD due to our cautious introduction approach.” 

Looking ahead, FNB has obviously seen the benefits of the BYOD trend, and Hasset echoes the common beliefs around the benefits that can be realised by allowing BYOD to be a part of the organisation. “We really expect to see significant cost reduction, increased productivity, innovation and business enablement.” But there are drawbacks, since Hasset notes that if not managed correctly and introduced prematurely, BYOD could fail to deliver on all the potential benefits and compromise on information security. “Currently, since BYOD is not actively encouraged at this point in time, no specific platform or device is favoured. There are, however certain devices that pose a higher risk due to the openness of the platform. Such platforms are also more susceptible to hackers and malware writers that are targeting the platforms with viruses.” Going forward, Hasset believes that the pressure from business and employees to cater for BYOD will increase and that it will be allowed in a managed and controlled fashion.

BYOD, it would seem, is inevitable. The advice from both manufacturers and end-users alike is tread carefully and ensure you have all your ducks in a row. There are significant benefits to be realised but a cavalier approach may be devastating to company and customers alike. [GS]

FNB Says: 

1. Think it through carefully and contem     plate all scenarios.

2. Consider legal implications.

3. Build a strategy that allows for  controlled implementations that can be   measured and evaluated along the way.

4. One size does not fit all. Limit  implementations to those areas where  the value will be realised.

5. Make sure that the people and organisation are at the correct level of  maturity. Behaviour, education,  monitoring and response capability is of utmost importance.