• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Apr 18, 2021
  • Startup
    • Creating a Plan
    • Funding a Startup
    • Franchise Center
    • Getting Your Office Ready
    • Making Your Business Official
    • Marketing Your New Business
    • Personal Readiness
  • Run & Grow
    • Customer Service
    • Human Resources
    • Innovation
    • Legal
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
  • Leadership
    • Best Practices
    • Communication
    • Green Initiatives
    • Open Culture
    • Strategic Planning
    • People Skills
  • Sales & Marketing
    • Advertising and Lead Generation
    • Marketing Innovations
    • Marketing Plans
    • Online Marketing
    • Relationships
    • Sales Activities
  • Finance
    • Budgeting and Personal Finance
    • Payments and Collections
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Pricing Strategy
    • Working with Investors
    • Working with Lenders
  • Tech
    • eCommerce
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Security
    • Tech Reviews
    • Telecom
  • Shop

SmallBizClub

Helping You Succeed

Tax Bandits banner
Home / Technology / Hardware / Joining the BYOD Party? Know the Details First
Joining the BYOD Party? Know the Details First

Joining the BYOD Party? Know the Details First

1283 Views

Oct 29, 2014 By Scott Resnick

Remember the day when the last desktop computer vanished from your office? Of course they were originally replaced by company-issued laptops, which made portability between cubicles, conference rooms, and offsite tasks much easier. But as the functions of portable computing evolved—and spread into modern smartphones—many employees have became frustrated with the “Model T” approach of many IT departments: “any device you want, as long as it’s whatever we give you.”

 
This led to one of the most rapidly-growing trends in business IT today: Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD. In BYOD systems, every eligible employee receives a company subsidy to purchase their own mobile device for work, whether that’s the latest-and-greatest notebook/smartphone or another cost effective option. Often called the “consumerization” of IT, BYOD enables the end user to custom-tailor their personal work tools.
 
Reasons to Switch
 
More and more companies of all sizes are transitioning to a BYOD policy for their workforce, for several key reasons:
 
  • Savings from not purchasing whole batches of new devices.
  • Choosing a device—for onsite use or work-from-home telecommuting—tends to help an employee feel more “in control” of his or her career, ultimately boosting overall productivity.
  • Managers avoid the (often awkward) process of retrieving “company property” from a departing employee.
  • Unused surplus equipment won’t sit gathering dust in a back storeroom as it sinks into obsolescence.
 
While a BYOD environment has plenty of benefits, it also comes with a few serious legal and technological considerations. Before cutting stipend checks and sending employees to their favorite electronics retailer, a company must lay crucial groundwork:
 
Update Acceptable Use Policies   
 
Legal agreements which governed traditional “fixed” hardware need to be updated and expanded to define acceptable use for BYOD devices, which will likely be used for employees’ personal needs beyond work. Avoid cookie-cutter legal templates and consult stakeholders—top management, legal, and IT—to craft a document which safeguards company data while firmly defining business and personal uses.
 
Future-Proof Your Network  
 
As your business grows, so will the demand from employees and BYOD policies. The ever-evolving spectrum of devices will continue to demand greater amounts of network traffic to deliver crystal-clear VoIP, high-def images, video, and other bandwidth-hogging applications we likely haven’t even imagined yet.   Strengthen your LAN infrastructure to handle tomorrow’s mobile computing.
 
Self-Service Onboarding  
 
Activation and customization of a new mobile device should be as user-friendly as possible, with minimal IT assistance. Online start pages and help files should span a “common denominator” of operating systems, from Apple OS and Android to those final die-hards of Blackberry. Be prepared for those frequent system updates which may cause glitches with older apps.
 
Your Own Company “App Store?”  
 
Whether it’s a new hire or a long-time employee customizing their new device, there will be plenty of downloading new software, from IM and video/audio conferencing platforms to file-sharing and collaboration tools. Employees often rely on piecemeal links emailed from co-workers or take chances on unknown third-party apps, which may harbor intrusive malware or viruses. By creating a specific mobile company homepage or similar online hub or portal, those employees can easily find download links to “tried-and-true” applications vetted and officially approved by IT.
 
Enable The “Kill Switch”  
 
If a device is lost or stolen, IT should have the ability to employ remote wipe technology to instantly render all encrypted data unreadable. Similarly, while a terminated employee may keep their personal hardware, any sensitive company data on the device will be rendered unreadable. A company should only use this feature when clearly within its purview and the condition should be included in the new Acceptable Use Policy.
 
So as we’ve seen, Bring Your Own Device adds another dimension to today’s enterprise mobility. Remembering to iron out all the details in advance will help to eliminate complications after allowing employees bring their devices. BYOD policies should cover much more than business phone systems and your VoIP system, expand your reach to cell phones, laptops, and third party apps for optimal security. 
 
This article was originally published by TTI Houston

Filed Under: Hardware Tagged With: Hardware, Policies, Scott Resnick, Technology

Scott Resnick

Scott Resnick

Scott Resnick is the President and Owner of Today's Telecommunications Industries, LLC (TTI) in Houston, TX. For the past 39 years, Scott has been instrumental in serving the telecommunications needs of some of Houston's largest and most influential companies. TTI is one of the largest NEC dealers in the United States. Scott is an avid baseball fan, loving father, husband, and a world traveler.

Related Posts

  • 5 Ways That Businesses are Changing in 2020
  • How Remote Offices Are Reshaping Work
  • Time to Futureproof Your Small Business

Primary Sidebar

efile4biz banner

Random

5 Ways to Retain Your Best Employees

Apr 16, 2021 By Jeremy Bowler

Top Ways to Celebrate Customer Birthdays

Apr 16, 2021 By Anand Srinivasan

Child Tax Credit: Everything You Need to Know

Apr 16, 2021 By Davis Clarkson

Meet Pheabs – a Finance Connection Service

Apr 16, 2021 By Daniel Tannenbaum

4 Essentials For Your New Office

Apr 15, 2021 By John England

Footer

About Us

Small Biz Club is the premier destination for small business owners and entrepreneurs. To succeed in business, you have to constantly learn about new things, evaluate what you’re doing, and look for ways to improve—that’s what we’re here to help you do.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 by Tarkenton Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved | Terms | Privacy