A recent Tech Pro Research report indicates that 72% of companies polled were either already using BYOD or were planning to do so in the near future. So, just in case there was any lingering doubt, BYOD is here to stay.
What's a little more eye opening is a statistic from Gartner, cited in the Tech Pro report, that 50% of all employees, all over the world will be mandated to "BYOD" by the end of this year. Wow, what a turnaround from only a few years ago when it was considered a perk for trusted employees to be able to use their own phones for business!
And, while we're serving up stats, according to the same report over 50% of those surveyed said that they are solely responsible for their devices and for paying for their own service plans. Only 7% of those surveyed listed their employers as paying for their devices and plans.
But BYOD itself is in transition as the IoT introduces our business environments to such things as wearables, sensors and whatever else comes in to rock our world.
How will IT and Telecom departments handle the expanding assortment of communications devices? For one thing a unified strategy will become more important than ever, as businesses struggle with a new spate of service providers, contracts and the push to integrate these devices into their existing infrastructure. Security will remain a hot button issue, as will the ongoing challenge of personal privacy and compliance with corporate policies.
But change is good for any industry. And we can count on the IoT to bring with it a lot more than iPhones and iPads. That's why we, at TTI, continue to stay on top of all new groundbreaking technologies that impact businesses. Are you ready to meet the new challenges they bring along with the advantages? We are, and we stand ready to partner with our clients as their communications landscape grows and changes and the need to effectively manage and control becomes greater than ever.