BYOD cheers up staff, boosts productivity - and IT bosses hate it
Hidden costs, security too much of a headache - for now
Posted in Management, 4th October 2012 16:02 GMT
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Costs, security headaches and battles to get different technologies working with each other are stalling Bring-Your-Own-Device schemes in UK offices, according to new figures.
In an Insight poll of 232 IT managers in Blighty, 79 per cent said they aren't implementing strategies to allow employees to buy their own kit for both personal and business use.
Of the 21 per cent that have taken the leap, the vast majority claimed to have noted a lift in staff morale - and happy people equals more productive people: despite the slowish uptake, 71 per cent of all the IT heads questioned expected a productivity hike from BYOD.
Stuart Fenton, EMEA president at Insight, forecast an acceleration of adoption when better tools emerge to lock down devices and make them more interoperable.
"It's probably twelve months before the big guns bring out those products. All those things coming together should push back on the naysayers," he told The Channel.
He said almost half of those quizzed also outlined concerns about costs, with just 18 per cent expecting BYOD to cut IT overheads and roughly a third anticipating "hidden costs" related to managing different operating systems and licensing issues.
It seems top execs and younger staff in organisations are demanding BYOD, but IT managers are wary of adopting it. BYOD was characterised as a ticking time bomb for B2B hardware channels by analyst TechMarketView as employees snap up tech from retailers.
Fenton agreed that "to some degree it is a threat", but reckoned enterprises may look to exact control over the supply chain with a purchase programme for employees.
"Desktops and notebooks will still be corporate devices [procured centrally]," he said, adding that tabs and smartphones will likely fall under a BYOD strategy. ®
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COMMENTS
Re: Responsability
My responsibility is first towards my employer, he is the one that puts money into my bank account every month without fail. In fact my employer keeps everyone in my company in work and that should never be forgotten.
Secondly I must ensure that my colleagues have the most efficient equipment that is capable of helping then do the job they do, I know their job very well and as such i know the correct equipment to buy. I ensure that ALL of their equipment has the best standard that the budget allows. I would rather spend more on a good keyboard and a mouse than the latest I7 for which they would never use even 10% of its power.
I also have to ensure the security, failure in security will create problems for our clients, therefore security is also taken seriously. BYOD does not provide any benefit for my colleagues, but it can present an unnecessary risk for the company. My company do not like taking risks, they pride themselves on ensuring a 24h/365day service for our clients.
I work very closely with my colleagues and ensure that that IT is not a burden, I explain why a tight secure system helps them remain in work, they also understand and accept why Facebook, Youtube et al are on a blacklist.
Our company is successful , we have good clients and we try and try to do things professionally.
The first thing that I note about your response was your attitude, and it is the kind of attitude that most companies can live without.
IT is a lot more than playing with the latest gadgets. The bleeding edge is where most of the heroes start, the cemetery is where they end up.
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Responsability
Since I am on the firing line when things go wrong, there will never be BYOD in our offices.
Why would employees be any happier using their own device anyway, they are supposed to be working. Whether I am using my own personal laptop or a company workstation makes no damned difference. Or is it just so that they can do FB, or some other social twatnet applications during the working hours without the IT Department blocking them out.
Also when an employee has a P2P client and illegal files/downloads, illegal porn, Viruses, Snuff movies on his laptop in my network, then I suddenly become partly reponsable for whats on that device, NO THANKS. All that needs to happen is that that user switches on file sharing and one other muppet downloads it across my Wifi/Lan, it can then be considered as having been made availble on my network, therefore company liability.
Legally this will become a living nightmare.
We provide material that has been validated and capable of running the software that our users require on a daily basis, we simply have no need/reason for BYOD.
Personal devices should remain just that, personal.....
This whole BYOD thing just stinks of marketing busllshit.
Re: Responsability
Your are not there to serve your interests but those of business and the users. IT is not a end, but a means.
If I as the user create more value for company using a BozoPad on my FanPhone, then I challenge IT to make this happen.
Bang on the nail, and in that situation you'd be correct. However, what IT also has to assess is the cost/benefit of BYOD versus the more traditional methods. If the extra measure that need to be put in place are going to cost more than the bigger bosses will authorise, then it ain't going to happen without a very good case being put forward - and "The users will be more productive on their own kit" does not make a strong business case.
Some businesses, BYOD works really well. Other's it doesn't. What some users seem to miss is that different businesses are, well, different. Just because it works for Company A, doesn't mean you in Company B are entitled to the same. Conversely it not working for Company B doesn't mean it can't work for Company A.
The web is filtered to protect staff from the likes of WebEx
Of course the web is filtered, you're on a work connection. The business wants to keep malware of it's network, and most will take steps to block 'offensive' content too. It's called being in the workplace.
field staff that are crippled because they are not admin
Only give users the privileges they need regularly. That's security 101 for fuck sake.
Did you perhaps get to use a PC in the summer holidays? Because you seem to know fuck all about security in a corporate environment. Hell the only reason I'm bothering to respond is because I'm an Insomniac so have a good proportion (if not all) of the night to waste
Re: Responsability
Corp IT only provides a vendor-neutral, standards compliant back-end for all clients to be able to connect (IMAP, POP3, and the like).
Incidentally, companies have had this for years before BYOD even came up. It's not external connections in that are a problem, you can filter them to hell, restrict what they can access on the server etc.
It's when users want to plug their malware infested devices into the LAN or connect to the WLAN that's the issue with BYOD from a basic security PoV. Unless, of course, you think running a VLAN for each client is fun.
Reading your post has me thinking of the Corp. IT issued laptops that run outdated software (XP with IE6 anyone? Outdated Flash or Java...)
That does suck, no disagreement there. On the other hand, it is a work computer and if the business has decided IE6 is all you need then that's what you get. You should of course raise hell about it where IE6 is involved.
The web is filtered to protect staff from the likes of WebEx. IT Support are either a help desk of a dozen low qualified interns, or asleep when you call at 3 in the morning.
Budgets are often cut, perhaps if the helpdesk had a few less qualifications between them IT could afford to buy you the Alien laptop you'd prefer. Of course, the support would be worse, but you'd have better kit. Addressing a balance can be difficult, and very few businesses get it quite right.
The technology is ready - what needs work are the internal application policies that are compatible with law and the users' expectations.
Sorry but user expectations don't factor in, business needs do (and that includes the law and regulatory compliance). Users' expectations don't take into account things like law, budgets, scope for expansion, ongoing support costs, licensing costs etc. Nor should they have to, it's not their job.
Re: Responsability (sic)
@Khaptain
I suspect the logic is that you work in IT and therefore must
a) only make decisions to suit yourself
b) generally be an arsehole
c) lie about the reasons for a and b
d) be unable to get laid (presumably because of the alleged small penis)
Funny, as much as I'd love to condemn the serious use of stereotypes, I do have a particular one in mind for this particular user. I also know of a guy called Simon who I suspect would love to meet him once the batteries are charged
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