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BYOD: Simplifying IT and empowering people

The consumerization of IT is a prominent force driving a dramatic change in the way organizations around the globe operate. Coupled with globalization and continued economic uncertainty, businesses are implementing new policies and redefining strategies to improve business productivity, flexibility and agility . One of the leading trends being implemented to create this workplace of the future is Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD). Such a strategy simplifies IT and empowers employees.

A formal BYOD policy allows IT to securely embrace consumer devices in the workplace, empowering people to be more productive. With the relentless demand from employees, organizational attitudes towards user-owned devices connecting to the corporate network are rapidly changing. The Citrix Workplace of the Future report - an independent survey of 1,900 senior IT decision makers around the globe – demonstrates that people rather than organizations are driving this change.

By 2014, 71 percent of senior IT decision makers intend to have implemented a formal BYOD policy. If organizations do not acknowledge the consumerization of IT, they risk leaving enterprise information unprotected and vulnerable. Regardless of attempts to ban employees from using their own devices, determined people often find workarounds. Currently, two-thirds of organizations do not have an enforced ban on people’s use of their own devices for work, although 84 percent have had such a ban in place in the past.

Embracing the consumerization of IT
BYOD must simultaneously empower people, make the organization more agile and protect the organization and its business information. It is not a ‘one size fits all’ policy. It has to be developed carefully by each individual organization. There are a number of business processes that need to be taken into consideration during the implementation phase. These range from the management of enterprise data and the acceptable use policies to how to handle lost or stolen devices and maintenance responsibilities.

However, the vast majority (97 percent) of senior IT directors surveyed indicate they restrict personal device access to business information. This is based on the person’s job role and location, the device, its configuration and the network used to access enterprise data. Unsurprisingly, the guidelines around the provision of applications are less clear.

With employees having greater autonomy over device choice, people are increasingly installing personal ‘apps’ for work purposes. For organizations, this raises concerns primarily around maintaining data privacy (59 percent), and a loss of control around application procurement (50 percent). As such, 72 percent of organizations have considered the impact of people using their own apps for work purposes, with a further 21 percent aware of and planning for the potential effects on data security.

The Workplace of the Future report found that the majority (61 percent) of organizations financially contribute to the cost of devices employees are bringing into the workplace to ensure that the IT department maintains a better degree of control over these devices. The report shows concern about whether workers know how to do the right thing. To simplify IT and ensure that applications are available on the platform required, a comprehensive BYOD initiative needs a centralized approach to managing information security. Without the right technology solutions to support BYOD, such policies either become impossible to enforce or too sluggish and locked down to deliver the expected benefits.

A strategic BYOD policy gives people the freedom of choice and allows organizations to embrace the consumerization of IT. Empowered to choose the best device to get their work done, people become more mobile, efficient and productive. By shifting device ownership to employees, the burden of device management is eased while control of the device is retained. Organizations therefore protect sensitive data from loss, addressing privacy and regulatory requirements at the same time.

The lack of a coherent approach to BYOD can leave an organizations sensitive data exposed. As organizations redefine strategic approaches and the consumerization of IT continues, a complete BYOD policy will need to encompass both policy and technology.

Mick Hollison, VP of integrated marketing and strategy, Citrix