Many organizations are weighing the options between corporate-owned and BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) programs.
In the last 12 months, we have seen more companies rolling back their Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) programs because of the problems associated with compatibility, application management, and security risks. Nemertes recently released a report that unveils the challenges of managing BYOD and the benefits that companies can gain from Managed Mobility Services today.
The Vision of BYOD
Most clients went into BYOD believing that not having to pay for devices for employees would provide huge annual savings. On one side of the ledger, companies may be able to reduce hardware costs by not paying for the devices themselves. On the other side, organizations may experience compatibility issues with multiple operating systems (OS) and increased help desk calls to assist with untested issues on apps with different OSs. Companies may also experience increased security risks in dealing both with multiple points of penetration as well as employee-owned devices that contain multiple uncertified applications and potential infections.
Corporate Challenges with BYOD
- BYOD cripples an enterprise’s ability to develop mobile apps: it’s impossible to roll out a mobile application if the potential universe of platforms that must support it is virtually infinite.
- Ensuring the security and privacy of corporate data on personal devices and in consumer applications is extremely difficult.
- Enabling auditable compliance with such privacy and security is even more difficult.
- Once personal mobile devices end up being used for corporate purposes, demand from users for help desk and other support functions isn’t far behind.
Reality of Corporate BYOD
- It’s difficult to manage devices you don’t own (pre-pandemic, nearly 30% didn’t even try, and there has not been a rush to do so since), to level-set reasonable expectations among end users, and to deal with the additional security issues that using their own devices creates.
- Companies must also deal with the challenges of data management and security and application management. Companies must determine which applications and devices have access to what data. From a security and policy standpoint, companies must determine what applications and data are even allowed to be on a mobile device.
- Security and compliance requirements are easier to meet with enterprise ownership and control of the device. Nemertes finds that managing a corporate-owned device takes only 25% as much time as managing BYOD devices; roughly three-fourths of an FTE for 500 devices, instead of three.
Recommendations
Think through the true cost of ownership, costs go far beyond the price of the device. In fact, once all the considerations of training, staffing, retention, compliance, and security are taken into consideration, you will realize the cost of the hardware device is just a small fraction of the overall costs of managing a mobile workforce.
Identify all your requirements for secure mobile device management. Scope and price out all requirements for securely managing mobile devices, including staff, hardware, software, training, configuration, integration, as well as ongoing management.
Evaluate enterprise mobility management service providers against the estimated cost of doing all these functions yourself.
ARG works with all the players in the mobility management space. Email info@myarg.com if you’d like to learn more about the options and price points for outsourcing.
