Fact or Fiction: Is BYOD Really a Money Saver?

With everyone touting that BYOD can save millions in mobility costs, an executive at a large manufacturing company convinced his CEO to adopt BYOD. Unfortunately the executive was blindsided when the company lost thousands of dollars instead due to unexpected costs. The executive was subsequently fired and the company set a policy refusing to allow employees to use any personal devices for work.

It’s a sad story, but not uncommon. Too many buy into the hype of bring your own devic eas a cost-saving miracle only to later throw in the towel, giving up on all the other benefits BYOD can bring to their organizations. Whether you choose to openly embrace it or not, BYOD is here to stay. It’s best to understand the facts so you can manage expectations wisely.

Fact or Fiction #1: There are substantial savings in going with BYOD.

This is fiction for sure. Though 69% of IT decision-makers in the U.S. believe BYOD is good for business, you have to do the math. Your hardware and telecom savings could be replaced by an increase in operational costs, including cost of support, licensing, and stipends. Unless your IT staff has the experience to support a variety of devices, you’ll probably have to increase headcount too. You can reduce some of those costs with a managed mobility solution (MMS), but don’t plan on seeing millions in savings.

Fact or Fiction #2: BYOD enhances employee productivity.

Proven fact. According to Frost and Sullivan research, employees using their own devices for work increased their productivity by 34%. BYOD enables your staff to work more efficiently and with an “always there” aspect—choosing to check email, answer messages, and respond to texts even in their off hours.

Fact or Fiction #3: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is DIY.

Definite fiction—do not try this alone. Just because the ownership of the devices is no longer your responsibility, support still is. Users are going to have questions about email, WiFi, and apps, as well as carrier support and help with damaged devices. Plus, there still needs to be a means of onboarding and offboarding employees with personal devices, e.g., requesting access to connect to corporate data. Having a managed mobility solution in place to address these needs can help you gain more benefits from your BYOD plan.

Fact or Fiction #4: BYOD is essential for the millennial workforce.

Absolute fact. With millennials and Gen Zers entering the U.S. workforce, more than 75% of organizations in 2018 have incorporated BYOD into their culture. Millennials are less concerned about privacy, preferring to carry only one device—their own—for both personal and corporate data, and don’t really care if the company has access to their personal information. Even older workers are transitioning to one device, preferring their own since it gives them the ability to be more productive.

Fact or Fiction #5: Providing corporate devices is more secure than BYOD.

Also fiction—don’t be led into a false sense of security. If you’re not allowing your people to use devices they want to, then they will secretly use them anyway to access your data, leaving you not only in the dark, but more vulnerable. And be aware that not knowing won’t protect you from facing substantial fines for noncompliance with privacy regulations or make the CEO feel any better about the loss of intellectual property.

Get More Bang for Your BYOD Bucks

Adopting BYOD won’t save your company millions of dollars, but you can benefit from this growing trend if you do it the right way. It’s key to have an experienced trusted advisor—who will work with you from consultation through support—to help you get the most out of your managed mobility solution. At Vox Mobile, we believe that understanding the costs and use cases for and against BYOD upfront will enable you to devise a clear and actionable plan.

During the consultation process, we take a deep dive into your business to learn how and where BYOD will benefit you most. For instance, did you know that instead of taking a blanket approach to eligibility, it’s more financially viable to make certain segments of your workforce ineligible for BYOD, including those who travel internationally more than 20% of the time, those who are on-call after hours, hourly employees, and even C-suite executives? We can help you make intelligent decisions about user segmentation, and more, to save you from unexpected expenses.

Choosing an enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution to manage your corporate data on personal and corporate devices, no matter the size of the company or industry, alleviates many BYOD headaches. We offer a variety of manufacturers’ solutions to fit your particular mobility needs and can suggest financing models that will align with your budget and expectations.

EMM solutions, such as VMware’s Workspace ONE, provide a single platform that makes device updates, data security, and user experience seamless. With an EMM, your corporate data remains siloed from your employees’ personal data, optimizing one device for both work and play.

Once you’ve chosen the EMM solution that’s right for you, Vox Mobile’s tailored support can enhance your ability to get the most out of BYOD. We provide the building blocks and tools you need to build a strong foundation and manage it to run efficiently. Whether it’s automating the process of onboarding new employees or keeping the employees you already have happy and productive, Vox Mobile can make BYOD work for you.

Here’s another fact: Vox Mobile helps you drive mobility success with mobile device management.