By Francis Czekalski, Enterprise Consultant

There’s no doubt that BYOD is a top buzzword and priority for IT decision maker in 2013.  This is certainly a complex issue that requires a lot of planning and commitment if your organization expects positive results. Below are a couple quick points on BYOD that your organization should keep in mind when implementing and monitoring a policy.

• BYOD programs have the effect of increasing the lifespan of devices because people tend to take care of items better since they are choosing the type of device.
• Security is a HUGE issue around BYOD. BYOD programs can increase security, but, when not monitored correctly can actually lead to a whole new pathway for data leakage.
• Offline computing still tends to be an issue so some hybrid model needs to be adopted.
• It is often believed that with a BYOD program you no longer need to support the clients- this is simply not the case. User productivity will demand that some touch is done on the end user’s computer.

A couple interesting findings from a recent study from Dell (http://tabtimes.com/news/ittech-stats-research/2013/01/22/study-it-managers-must-embrace-byod-or-risk-being-left-behind)…

• 70% of IT Decision makers believe BYOD helps boost employee productivity and customer response time.
• 59% of IT Decision makers believe they would be at a competitive disadvantage if they did not embrace personally-owned devices
• 56% of IT Decision makers believe that BYOD has completely changed their company’s culture

If you’d like some more information on BYOD and mobile device management, download this free webinar.

What’s your opinion on BYOD? Has your organization implemented a policy? If not, do you plan on implementing one? Why or why not?