Bring your own device at work!

One of the results of the rise of mobile devices and the consumerization of enterprise IT is that today's employees have increased expectations and demands of the devices they use for work. According to the Citrix Workshifting Index, a Citrix research study released this year, 92 per cent of companies report that they were aware their employees were using personal devices for at least some work-related tasks.

To manage the ever-wider range of IT devices being introduced in the marketplace today, organisations have to find new ways to balance employees' freedom of choice with the company's need to maintain control over sensitive corporate data, which can be lost or (worse) stolen if the appropriate precautions are not taken.

This is where a 'Bring Your Own Device' (BYOD) programme, coupled with desktop virtualization technologies, can benefit both businesses and employees. The aim of a BYOD programme is to empower employees by giving them the opportunity to use the device that best suits them for work-related tasks.

By allowing them to use their own devices, employees can easily access both personal and corporate information, gaining increased mobility, satisfaction, productivity and the ability to work from any location. At the same time, IT teams can save costs and man-hours by simplifying their IT infrastructure and reducing the burden of managing multiple devices.

So how do companies implement a BYOD programme? As the step-by-step guide below shows, it's easier than many companies think.

1. Assess employees' needs and requirements

Some employees may choose not to participate in a BYOD programme because they wish to avoid having to manage and maintain their own devices. Additionally, depending on their roles and responsibilities, different employees will need different company applications. IT will need to categorise corporate applications to ensure that all employees are sufficiently catered for in terms of appropriate access to applications.

2. Invest in desktop virtualization

Desktop virtualization allows IT to manage employee desktops centrally and deliver applications as an on-demand service. This streamlines the management process for the IT department, and enables employees to access secure virtual corporate desktops and apps anytime, anywhere.

3. Design a BYOD policy with key stakeholders

Implementing a BYOD programme across the organisation requires all stakeholders, such as IT, HR and legal, to agree on a comprehensive set of policies for administration. The policies must define eligibility, device and data ownership clauses, contractual obligations, general compliance and circumstances under which employees can be held accountable for breaching the policies, and what action will be taken in such cases.

4. Protect corporate data and intellectual property

IT needs to introduce different security profiles and custom security policies for employee-owned devices, including a policy to prohibit saving data locally. By virtualizing corporate applications, IT can automatically and transparently encrypt all corporate data created through IT-delivered applications, even allowing IT to remotely wipe the data in the event of a security breach.

5. Get buy-in from both senior managers and employees

Managers and employees alike should agree and commit to all of the BYOD guidelines to ensure that the programme satisfies the company's policies, while meeting employees' expectations of virtual lifestyles and device flexibility.

6. Consider a stipend programme

To encourage employees to opt in to the BYOD scheme and provide their own devices, companies can consider offering a stipend, which employees can use to purchase a device of their choice (this is how we do it).

7. Empower employees to self-provision and self-support

In a BYOD programme, employees legally own the laptop, tablet or smartphone. Therefore, they can be encouraged to assume responsibility for any maintenance of their device. However, they should be aware that the corporate data that is generated, maintained or saved on the device remains the property of the organization.

Using BYOD to boost workplace efficiency and productivity

Forward-looking companies will realize the benefits of a mobile and flexible workforce that is not tied to the office or the 9-to-5 working day. A BYOD programme can create a win-win situation for both enterprises and employees, allowing both to work more efficiently and more productively.