The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) mobility strategy that many businesses are considering or actively deploying is one of the more heated debates in the IT landscape. It directly pits employees against business owners as both sides have pros and cons to the strategy, but someone needs to give something up for it to be successful.
BYOD is something that cannot be avoided or ignored, but it has many pitfalls that can lead to a number of problems. A recent article from Tech Page One examined all the different ways that this strategy can end in disaster. These include:
- Expensive employer backed data plans
- Violating the law over data regulations and compliance
- Employees slacking off because they are using their personal devices
- Security concerns over the cloud
- Text messages can easily be used to share company information
- Losing a personal device that accesses or stores company data
- Lawsuits over privacy and overtime
- Blocked apps
- Virus, malware and hacking.
There are, however, a number of ways that these can be avoided, and it starts with having a solid plan in place. This includes setting boundaries, distinguishing between different levels of data, creating a private cloud, using encryption and having improved record keeping. On top of this, it is important to create either a user approach that includes data permissions or a device-focused approach that focused on the hardware.
Creating a BYOD strategy is easier said than done. One of the best ways to handle this is to partner with an IT consulting firm that specialized in deploying mobile devices and incorporating it into the IT systems.
