Customer BYOD expectations and engagement

Jonathan Hunt considers the main factors when helping customers create a BYOD policy

More people are bringing their own gadgets to work and the BYOD trend has become one of the most talked about topics in our customer meetings. This is because, I think, it offers end users and businesses numerous advantages.

People look after their own devices. Employees will be more likely to take the time to maintain their own gadgets. Customers can also save money because they will have fewer hardware replacements.

BYOD can also allow workers to pick devices that best suit their roles. This gives employees more direct involvement with IT – in a good way. IT departments can be proactive and positive, embracing what staff want to do rather than working against them. IT in 2012 is about promoting flexibility and BYOD allows that.

There are serious challenges too. The main issue that customer businesses are going to worry about is security. Data leakage and the risk of malware spring to mind. But there is some great mobile device management software that can mitigate these risks for customers, especially when you remember that few people will deliberately steal corporate data – but there's always a chance of someone leaving a mobile computing device in the back of a cab.

Customers must be helped to decide whether to fully embrace the BYOD ethos or restrict it. For example, is the customer business going to allow only one specific brand or several? They must also be helped to draw a line around the management of the devices being used, setting out clearly defined parameters.

Customers will need to know what to do if a device breaks. Can they fix it in house or will the reseller be brought in? If so, when and how? What happens if the device breaks down while an employee is engaged in a work task out of hours or while working remotely?

Will employees expect 24/7 support – for example, when they can't log-in on a Sunday afternoon?

Meanwhile, some customers' staff may have a concern around any potential mixing of business and pleasure. End users need to understand who should be included in any BYOD pilot. For example, they wouldn't necessarily want task workers in a call centre working on tablet PCs, but they may want their pre-sales team to do so.

Customers will need assistance in developing some kind of strategy, even if it's a relatively vague one. Otherwise they could start running into all sorts of issues. They need to think about what they want to achieve, and how it will help their organisation and their individual users. Guidelines, accountability and expectations will need to be set and managed.

I have read that many organisations don't have any strategy in place. But BYOD is a change in mentality for all users and support staff – including those at the reseller or services provider.

I have serious reservations about doing BYOD without any type of mobile device management security. Explain to users the importance of security while embracing the potential BYOD benefits. Formulating a realistic strategy and framework with their clients is where resellers can really add value.

Jonathan Hunt is business development director at Point to Point