Back in the dark ages, I ran a corporate network department and every time I set foot outside the office, I had to clip on a pager and two walkie talkies. As you can tell, those were the days before cell phones. The fact remained that I needed to be in constant contact with anyone who needed to get in touch with me.
Smartphones have changed all clutter that needs to be carried, sort of. I still see techs walking around with two or sometimes three different smartphones clipped to their belt. Maintaining multiple mobile devices can be a task unto itself, creating the likely possibility that one of the devices might be accidently left behind.
I have always found it easier, more convenient and more productive to use my own laptop for work purposes. I could work on both business and personal items regardless of where I was, which increased efficiency and allowed me to accomplish more in less time. The fact that I could create my own secure login account allowed me this freedom and ensured the highest possible security.
Today, we are seeing a similar phenomenon taking place. Over the past 18 to 24 months more employees have had the opportunity to bring their own devices (BYOD) to work. BYOD refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices to their workplace and to use those devices to access secure company information and applications.
Over the past year and a half, BYOD has been making significant inroads in the business world, with about 75 percent of employees in high growth, emerging markets such as Brazil and Russia and 44 percent in developed markets already using their own technology at work. This is a continuing trend which can be seen in many current surveys and studies.
One such report comes to us from Grand View Research and is entitled “Global Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Market Analysis, Size and Segment Forecasts To 2020.” Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S.-based market research and consulting company. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, as well as consulting services.
The report indicated that over the next five years, the global BYOD market is predicted to exceed the $225 billion mark. I mentioned that
Image via Shutterstock
significant BYOD inroads have been made over the past two years. The reason for this is that businesses of all sizes are creating BYOD policies that not only allow their employees to use their mobile devices, but also ensure that company data is safe and secure.
Several experiences have been learned by allowing BYOD. One factor that was immediately recognized is the fact that companies have been able to minimize their capital expenses since they are lowering the number of mobile devices they need to purchase. In addition, they have found that operating expenses can also be decreased.
As more companies around the world create BYOD policies, it increases the need for a different type of security. This has not gone unnoticed and we have already begun to see a variety of enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions hit the market. In fact, the prediction is that the EMM market will see substantial growth between now and 2020.
EMM solutions not only deal with issues of security, but also take into consideration device management and cross-platform compatibility. Developers are also creating more cross-platform mobile applications, which ties into the BYOD concept.
We are seeing that one concept is having not only having an effect on company policies, but also on several markets. This can be taken a step further as we see mobile carriers providing faster services, larger data plans and even billing options all designed to simplify the process of using one’s own device in the workforce.
