To BYOD or not to BYOD

  • By 2014, 54% of organizations in Malaysia would be using or plan to use BYOD initiatives
  • There are compelling reasons why organizations must consider embracing BYOD

To BYOD or not to BYODTHE days of organizations mandating what devices employees can use are over. Today’s digital natives are demanding that their organizations allow them to bring their own gadgets, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, to the workplace.

Born and bred in the Internet generation, they consider access from any device and to any data or app, as their right and not a privilege. The consumerization of IT is an unstoppable trend, and would, in due course, be reflected as a priority for employees when seeking employment.

Organizations would have to embrace these new realities in order to attract talent, which is instrumental in infusing innovation into an organization.

Beyond digital natives, a recent study by IDC revealed that the top two groups driving support for non-standard devices are VPs/ directors and the C-Suite. Independently conducted by Vanson Bourne, the Citrix Workplace of the Future report showed that in South-East Asia, the IT department as well as C-level executives have contributed to the push for formal Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) initiatives.

By 2014, more than half (54%) of organizations in Malaysia will be using or would be planning to use BYOD initiatives to manage the growing number of devices that people use to access the corporate network, demonstrating that support for non-standard devices in the workplace is going mainstream.

To BYOD or not to BYODAdditionally, 67% of organizations who are using or planning to implement BYOD initiatives cite the need to embrace and manage the consumerization of IT as the key reason driving their organizations towards formal BYOD policies.

Organizations may be open to granting employee requests, but every new device that is allowed onto a corporate network presents itself as a potential security risk and a management challenge.

Organizations want the ability to provide access to business resources anytime, anywhere, while protecting sensitive information and without compromising on security. With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets entering the enterprise, coupled with an increased demand for real-time access to enterprise information and applications via these devices, the ability to successfully walk this tightrope is a significant priority for CIOs today.

The way to overcome these challenges is through an effective troika of policy, technology and systems that can help organizations reap the benefits of this powerful trend. There are compelling reasons why organizations must consider embracing BYOD.

1) Reduce costs. Having people pay part or all of the cost of various devices used for work gets IT out of the rigmarole of procuring and maintaining an ever-increasing host of hardware.

Additionally, technologies, such as desktop virtualization and enterprise mobility management (EMM), when deployed for BYOD, enable access to all necessary apps and data. These solutions also infuse efficiencies into BYOD programs by enabling laptop replacement policies, yielding significant savings for IT. Employees participating in a BYOD program are also provided financial aid for the cost of devices.

2) Boost productivity. To operate effectively in today’s fast-paced global environment, organizations need to be able to get work done anywhere, anytime and on any device. BYOD makes it easier to work outside of the office, improving productivity, collaboration and mobility, thus empowering workers to be best-equipped to fulfill their respective roles.

3) Alleviate security concerns. Compliance, data protection and privacy concerns are top considerations in any BYOD decision. Desktop virtualization can enable secure device-independent computing via a Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network (SSL VPN). This can also be supplemented by an EMM solution with secure file sync and sharing services to allow IT optimal freedom to maintain tight security and control.BYOD does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

Organizations have the flexibility and liberty to control the specific services they offer on their employees’ devices. In addition, they can differentiate the services for specific work groups, user types, devices and network utilized.

Workers participating in a BYOD program often bring consumer-grade solutions into the enterprise, expecting them to function with enterprise applications and services. These can include lightweight versions of enterprise applications, mobile and micro apps, and consumer-focused Software as a Service (SaaS) services.

A unified storefront that securely delivers mobile, Web and Windows apps and data to any device can enable IT to mobilize any corporate app securely. At the same time, IT will have full control, providing instant access to all business apps and data from anywhere, resulting in a beautiful experience for organizations which have formal BYOD policies.
 
Stuart Driver is Citrix’s director of IT Services for Asia Pacific
 
Related Stories:

Malaysia leads world in number of devices per employee

The coming of BYOD and its challenges

Gen-Y ‘BYOD’ workers have low regard for corporate IT security

BYOD: Kill off those old IT policies, CIOs

Welcome to the new world of working

Enterprises urged to embrace new work-life paradigm
 

 
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