Don’t fight BYOD in the workplace – create a strategy that embraces device flexibility while managing user expectations.
The days of IT departments rolling out software and hardware solutions and controlling staff computer access are well and truly over as users break free of their straitjackets and embrace DIY IT.
57%
of employees worldwide are accessing corporate data on a personal smartphone or tablet.
Employees are sourcing their own mobile devices, apps and cloud-based services to solve problems and boost their productivity. They expect IT to keep up. But such expectations mean that business-critical corporate policies risk being sidelined because they are widely perceived as either reductive or archaic.
And they have a point, well, up to a point. Yes, these user-centred solutions can offer significant benefits to the business – boosted productivity, always-on 24/7 availability and cost reductions. And it can be argued that enterprise IT infrastructure can be slow to embrace new technology. But there’s a good reason for such perceived tardiness – any new solution throws up challenges that must be met by managers before rollout can get underway.
From the security issues surrounding BYOD to the perils of shadow IT, procurement and IT managers can find themselves struggling to balance employee expectations with the realities of securing the company’s IT infrastructure.
IT budgets need to be considered too. It’s simply not possible to meet the needs of workers all of the time. And then there’s the imperative of risk management, and the ramifications of adopting emerging and unproven technologies at enterprise scale. At the opposite end of this spectrum are the laggard employees who, if not adequately supported during a technology change, risk being left behind.
Underlying these issues are understandable concerns about data security – all enterprise data must be secure wherever it is accessed, whether on a personal laptop at home or out in the field on a tablet or smartphone. For managers, this situation can feel akin to herding cats – just how do you start implementing a plan that can address such a disparate set of challenges, while at the same time managing user expectations?
To create an effective strategy, when procuring new technologies managers must maintain the right balance between meeting business objectives and addressing operational needs on the ground. To aid in this analysis, procurement managers should create a strategy in conjunction with consultants and key stakeholders from executive level down to the employees themselves to understand the full implications of any new technology rollout.
It’s critical that employees they feel their needs are being addressed, but at the same time their expectations need to be managed from the earliest possible stage. Proactive managers encourage feedback from those employees who have been identified as early adopters, or evangelists, asking them which solutions they believe offer the best productivity outcomes for their own workflows and those of the company as a whole.
From this point, policies need to differentiate between three groupings of devices and solutions:
- Those that are fully supported by IT
- Those that are endorsed but are not centrally supported
- Those that are unsupported and should not be used. For this category, clear reasons should be given as to why a particular app or device represents a threat to the enterprise and its data security – and most importantly, the penalties that employees will incur if they use it.
This transparent and flexible approach is essential for generating buy-in from employees, bringing them back into the fold while managing user expectations. At the same time, procurement managers should consider adopting a ‘consumerist’ mindset themselves, seeking out new technologies and solutions that offer clear, provable benefits to both employees and the company.
Once an overarching strategy has been agreed, deploy the IT tools and services required to execute the new plan, pulling in the necessary skillsets either via the creation of new roles within the company – or short-term contracts – or by bringing on board consultants such as MPS providers to do the heavy lifting.
The resulting strategy should draw on consumer power while managing user expectations, ensuring that any new software and hardware solutions meet clearly-defined goals that will secure buy-in from all stakeholders.
Without a strategy in place, the threat to an enterprise’s infrastructure could prove to be detrimental in the long term if left unchecked:
45%
of companies allow any device to be used at work.
But:
74%
offer no security education on BYOD.
And critically:
42%
have experienced a data breach.
Takeaways:
- Embrace the potential of BYOD, new mobile platforms and innovative apps.
- Create a strategy that reaps the benefits of BOYD while mitigating the risks.
- Put in place clear policies and guidelines on what new systems and apps can be used – and those that can’t.
- Face off the threat of consumerisation in the workplace by encouraging employee feedback and insights about the latest digital innovations.
- Bring all stakeholders together in the company to help manage expectations through a programme of transparency and openness.