It may seem like an odd question, but do you have a computer on your desk at work that your company has supplied? If so, you may soon be the minority, as more and more companies are favouring the BYOC and BYOD way.
So what exactly are BYOC and BYOD? The abbreviations stand for ‘bring your own computer’ and ‘bring your own device’ respectively. This basically means bringing your own device to the office to work on, whether that is a computer, laptop, Mac or Tablet PC. Many companies will cover either part or all of the expenses that this involves, or they will provide software for the employee to access their work remotely using their own device at home.
To find out the extent of how many companies have opted for this new way of working life, many surveys have been conducted.
Avanade, a business technology company, found that 88 per cent of employees used their own personal computing devices for work purposes. Software company Absolute Software found that 64 per cent of IT Managers thought it was a risk to allow employees’ personal devices to assimilate with a company’s network.
Speaking of BYOD, Stephen Midgley from Absolute Software said: “We’re actually hearing from our own customers, during the interview process, where potential employees are asking what kind of device they will be able to use to access the network.”
Finally Cisco Systems, a technology news site, surveyed 1500 IT Managers and found that 57 per cent of employees use personal technological devices for work purposes without consent, even though 48 per cent of their company would never authorise the use of a personal device in the office. Also, Cisco found that 51 per cent of employees thought that the use of personal devices for work related purposes was on the rise.
Speaking of the findings, Tom Puorro, Director of Product Management at Cisco Systems, stated: “Mobile workers and virtual workspaces are here to stay—but so are the demands on IT to continue to ensure enterprise-grade security, manageability and interoperability.
“2012 promises to be an exciting year and IT leaders are a critical component in unleashing innovation and enabling organizations to take advantage of the next wave of business growth and opportunity.”
But is allowing employees to access an office’s network remotely really that safe? Absolute Software’s Stephen Midgley thinks so: “It’s the new reality for organisations, and IT needs to find an effective way to securely manage these devices. What we’ve seen is a cultural divide between IT and the rest of the organisation.
“IT thinks about security, that’s their job, the rest of the organisation doesn’t. Companies need to make sure they have the facilities to support the ‘right’ behaviour with the proliferation of devices. This has to mean that the ‘right’ behaviour also becomes the ‘easiest’ behaviour.”
Would you like to bring your own computer or laptop into work? If so, do you think the company should reimburse you or offer you a higher salary?
