What's really driving BYOD?

Every man with an opinion is banging on about BYOD and how important it is for enterprises to embrace a BYOD policy. But what is really driving BYOD as an IT trend, particularly in mobility.

There are two groups that are pushing the agenda from an Enterprise perspective. Executives that want to connect their new shiny, sexy smart phone – mostly iPhones and iPads and the CFO who sees an opportunity to reduce the cost of supplying hardware i.e. devices.

Research undertaken by IDC recently indicates that most employees do not want to bring their devices to work – less than 20% surveyed. They would much prefer that their employer provide the device – greater than 70%. Research undertaken by MSC indicates that less than 50% of employees would like to use their own devices at work, and those that would like to use their own device, don’t want an onerous BYOD policy.

So why all the hype around BYOD?

It isn’t surprising that the main proponents of BYOD are large network infrastructure providers like Cisco and others. BYOD requires a host of technologies to ensure the security and authenticity of data and users. More so than a corporate liable environment because the level of corporate control of the device is lower. If you don’t control the device, then what do you control? The network parameter. Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) requires modern switching and firewall systems to support the protocol… soo off to the shop.

Mobile Device Management vendors support BYOD because the bulk of their work comes from iPhone and iPad deployments… the majority of these users are the BYOD folk. You need some level of control on these devices regardless of whether they are individual liable or corporate liable, but a soft touch is needed on BYOD devices because the company doesn’t own them and therefore can’t mandate security policy.

A vocal and powerful user group are also supporting BYOD – the Executives that want to be seen at the next Exec Briefing with the latest, cool device. Afterall if Trev CEO from ‘We’re So Great Co’ can have an iPhone with his company email on it, why can’t I? It is very difficult for the CIO or CSO to stare down the CEO on this issue, hence, BYOD.

And the problem is?

The cracks however are appearing in the silver lining of BYOD. Device cost is only one aspect of supporting a mobile environment. Plans, rebates, appropriate use, warranty, support etc all factor into the BYOD formula. An Aberdeen Research study indicates that the true cost of BYOD is up to 30% higher than a corporate liable program. Now if the CFO thinks that cost will be borne by the user… think again. Users aren’t stupid. They will work it out and then ask for a rebate.

Running a BYOD program and a Corporate Liable program has its own costs – duplication, business rules, policy development, loan pool considerations etc. all cost money to develop and establish.

Where’s the ROI?

Most of the ROI justification comes from intangible benefits. The top drivers are:

1. Attracting the best talent from the younger generation
2. Managing work/life balance
3. Collaboration, information sharing and flexibility

How does one measure these things? Is BYOD the right tool to enable these objectives?

Typically MSC Mobility finds that BYOD is driven by two things:

1. Lack of choice in corporate device support i.e. you can have a BlackBerry if you a senior enough, else it’s the trusty feature phone… great for phone calls, text and… that’s about it.
2. Why carry two if one will do? i.e. users don’t want to carry multiple devices.

Organisations can address these issues pretty quickly without implementing a BYOD program… increase user device choice.

There is one factor that enterprises need to consider and that is, the attachment users have to their personal content. Gen-Y particularly expect to be able to use their own applications and access social networks. Much of this demand is centered around the smart phone. The big question is, is it a good idea to enable staff to access potentially time wasting facilities on their devices? Forty eight percent of Australian’s believe that social media is a time waster and nearly 60% of respondents believe mixing personal and professional connections via social media can cause problems. Does enabling greater access to social media through BYOD make sense? Would they do it anyway, but just on their personal as opposed to company device?

Despite the blurring of work life and personal life, people generally compartmentalize what is work on work device vs what is social on personal devices.

Is there a place for BYOD?

Certainly, but not as broadly as some would have us believe. While the issue of BYOD is contained to email and basic access requirements for informational purposes, there is a place for BYOD. As soon as organisations start to look to drive real business value through optimising business processes for mobile users, standards, support, warranty, device type etc all become an important factor that need to be managed centrally i.e. corporate liable devices.

Depending on the organization, there may be a large number of users for whom it doesn’t really matter if they get email on their device or not. They are the BYOD users. As soon as ‘not having a device’ is a problem, then corporate liable is the best option, after all, do you really want the CFO standing in the Genius Bar line waiting to get his iPad fixed?

About Justin Roche

Justin is a senior consultant with MSC Mobility and has extensive experience working with enterprises to define their Mobility Strategy across security, compliance, application and expense management.

MSC Mobility is a specialist mobility services organisation working with Australian corporations to reduce the risks and costs associated with deploying and managing mobile fleets. MSC provides mobile enterprise application platform services to enable the mobile workforce.