Advantages and Disadvantages of BYOD - Sixty-two percent of companies will have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy in place by the end of this year, according to a BYOD Business Strategy Survey. That's a huge increase from the 44 percent that allowed it at the end of 2012. If you're thinking about adopting a BYOD policy at your company, you probably already know there are some divided opinions on the matter, especially when it comes to cost, trust and security. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of BYOD in the workplace:
The Advantages: Cost, Flexibility & Better Tech
One of the biggest pros for companies to adopt a BYOD policy is the cost savings on hardware. According to PC World, by not having to supply staff with computers, voice or data services and the costs associated with them, business stand to save as much as $80 per month per user. Surprisingly, employees are happy to pay for the devices themselves, since they get to choose what they want to use. Most of the time, these are not additional purchases, because most employees already have a personal mobile phone and laptop.
Since the employees are purchasing these devices, they tend to be newer and more cutting-edge, so the company benefits from the latest features. And the makers of mobile devices are prepared to bridge the gap between work and home—BlackBerry, for example, has technology that enables users to seamlessly switch between their personal data and their work data. This leads to increased flexibility and freedom for employees, which in turn increases job satisfaction and loyalty.