Businesses seek the most cost-effective technologies to streamline operations while cutting expenses without cutting down on productivity. One such technology that has been placed under the microscope is bring-your-own-device, or BYOD.
In today's world, employees will utilize the best methods to get the job done, even if the company doesn't supply those methods outright. Employees have been investing in their own devices such laptops, tablets and smart phones to use in the office. Many businesses have noticed such a growing trend, deciding to use this technology to their advantage while appeasing employees who are better able to handle their workload by using their own personal device.
Why BYOD Has Become Profitable For Companies
According to IT Inflections, over 89 percent of employees use some type of mobile device for work with 65 percent of them opting to use their smartphone the most often. By looking at these numbers, it is no wonder why companies are trying to allow employees to use their mobile devices at work. Yet cost-savings goes beyond the number of employees using BYOD.
Employees Purchase Their Own Equipment
For every employee that uses their own smartphone for work purposes, that is one less piece of equipment that the company has to buy. In addition, employees are not being that cheap about their smartphone purchases.
Many analysts say that the amount of money the company saves in purchasing the actual device is offset by the development of mobile gateways and platforms to support BYOD devices. While there are costs, these can be managed when deploying the right BYOD policies and management. The Huffington Post reports that companies who spend no more than $8 per device on BYOD solutions could see a savings of $192,000 a year for 1,000 employees using BYOD.
Increased Productivity Leads To Greater Generated Revenue
It is safe to assume that an employee who enjoys using his own device for work will have an increase in productivity. An internal review by Intel concerning its employees using BOYD devices has shown that 17,000 workers increased their productivity by 57 minutes every day. By figuring out the amount of revenue that was gained by the increase of productivity, such as 10 percent, it could be estimated that an additional $21 million in revenue can be produced annually through BYOD strategies.
Proper Management Of BYOD Is Paramount To Cash In On This Mobile Solution
Even with the amount of savings and additional revenue from increased productivity, BYOD will only be good for the company who seeks out the right management solutions. Companies that stretch themselves out too much to satisfy BYOD employees could see very little savings in return. To not fall into such a trap, keep the following factors in mind.
Limit The Amount Of Platforms To Support
If you try to support every single iOS out there, you will spend more money maintaining and upgrading platform support for every single one. Select the platform you will permit employees to use -- Windows, ChromeOS, Android, Linux, Blackberry -- as you will be able to consolidate your resources for more effective mobile management solutions, according to Tech Republic.
Don't Let Overages Skyrocket Out Of Control
Your company may decide to pay for the data plans for your employees' BYOD smart phones. Yet if you are not careful, you may find your employees going over their data allowance as well as trying to submit their text messaging costs as a business expense. Consider what expenses you want to pay for your company's BYOD strategies so you aren't losing money through overages.
Matt Smith is a Dell employee who writes to help raise awareness on the topic of BYOD Solutions and other network management subjects.
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