Businesses are constantly seeking creative ways to maximize capital and decrease operating expenses. One tactic that is catching momentum is requiring or allowing employees to “BYOD”, or bring your own device, to work. Investment in hardware, software, tech support, and employee downtime to address technical issues, is a large expense that can be mitigated in part by implementing a BYOD policy. The prevalence of remote employees, mobile workstations, and flexible scheduling that allows workers to maximize their time outside of the office by utilizing smart and mobile devices is a key factor in the BYOD culture. A company could significantly reduce its IT costs by adopting a BYOD policy, all the while increasing perceived ownership employees have in the technical operations of their organization.
Younger workers, or millennials, often have expectations to be able to work remotely. Some studies point to as many as 3 out of 5 millennials who expect this accommodation. This trend must be intelligently managed in order to keep worker morale high, while mitigating the risks of sensitive data being accessible outside of the physical office environment. If a laptop, tablet, or smartphone is lost, stolen or damaged there MUST be a quick and easy method in place to effectively “wipe” the device of sensitive data remotely. The proper development of a BYOD policy will address the sticking points that surround this idea, which is sure to gain momentum and popularity in the coming months and years.
This trend is not without its drawbacks, of course. Beyond the obvious logistical issues such as compatibility and security, one must consider how best to manage data that exists in a BYOD environment. Moving to a virtual desktop, in which users connect to a network in order to view and interact with their work station, minimizes the risk of company data being compromised. Using a virtual desktop is a seamless way for a personal computer or smart device to become a carbon copy of what users would experience with a traditional, in-office, workstation. When a user logs in, the icons, programs, and software are identical to what would be seen from a company-provided computer. Additionally, “performance draining applications (can be moved) from your infrastructure to … high performance, secure and available data center infrastructure” (http://www.fedhillsolutions.com/fhs-cloud/). This infrastructure can be outsourced from providers of secure, off-site network computing. Many of these organizations will also provide remote tech support to users of the virtual desktop environment that they have configured. Often times, these providers have secure physical locations that span not only the country, but the globe in order to maintain the highest level of security possible.
Weighing the pros and cons of requesting employees to BYOD may be difficult to navigate. KTL Solutions is well versed in the systems and processes necessary to make this transition smooth and secure for both the user and the business. Even if you do not wish to transfer your document storage and processing tasks to the cloud, you can still provision your IT department to allow users to BYOD. This not only offers a direct savings in hardware costs, but may also improve the level of care an employee takes of the computer they use for work, as it is used for play as well!
EMILY MESSENGER | Internal Sales Specialist
Emily Messenger earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Shepherd University in 2009, spending her undergraduate years working in entomological research with the United States Department of Agriculture. Since graduation, Emily has spent time working in the Financial Services field and most recently in Consumer Electronics/Sales. With a keen eye for detail and a flair for data analysis, Emily is eager to learn new things and enjoys challenging herself. She joined KTL Solutions in July of 2016 as an Inside Sales specialist where she helps generate sales and serves as an initial point of contact within the Company.
In her spare time, you can find Emily working on a stained glass project or in her kitchen garden, or spending time with family (which includes her Rat Terrier, Nelly). A California native, Emily enjoys getting to know the small towns and cities along the East Coast, as well as visiting family and friends in the Western US.
