More and more employees are embracing the bring your own device (BYOD) trend, with many saying that this is top of their wish list at work.
Put simply, this is when employees use their personal laptops, tablets or smartphones to work on rather than using a company computer.And the main reason for the rising popularity of BYOD is that it allows employees to gain access to workplace networks while also being able to utilise personal accounts and documents at the same time.
“The new generation is demanding a dual persona for both their devices and desktops, with the ability to access workplace documents and perform all of the workplace tasks, while in an instant gaining access to personal files and photos and social media material,” said Andy Chrismas, sales manager at Node4 Cloud.
But employees shouldn’t worry that their staff are going to be wasting time on Facebook or watching videos of cats on YouTube, as studies have shown than BYOD policies can in fact increase productivity.
On top of this, it allows companies to cut costs associated with hardware and IT support, while also opening up the opportunity for employees to work remotely.
What’s more, with recent technological advances, it’s easy for companies to operate entirely on the cloud allowing staff members to gain access to shared networks from wherever they are and whenever they want.
This style of working and such cloud computing technologies are becoming increasingly commonplace, particularly with forward-thinking companies.
However, Mr Chrismas warns organisations not to rush into BYOD policies rapidly. Careful consideration of the technology that will be utilised is essential as cloud systems are not a one size fits all thing – after all you don’t want a Bring Your Own Disaster!
Security is also a major issue to consider before rolling out BYOD policies, particularly the management of data and risks of third party access.
But once you have these things in place, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start enjoying the benefits associated with BYOD.