BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is out of control, and company IT departments are scratching their heads about how to bring some order to the chaotic state of affairs.
If you look at UK workers aged 18 and over, you will find that over 50 per cent are using their own tablets and mobile devices while they are at work. This means that a large chunk of what is going on in the workplace is totally unmanaged, and therefore out of control. A recent study of 1,000 workers in Britain, which was commissioned by Phoenix, showed that around 60 per cent of workers do not involve their company’s IT department in the setting up or managing of their devices. Ultimately, this is exposing companies to the risk of cyber-attack.
Talking about the situation, Alistair Blaxill, MD of Phoenix, said: “Mobility is one of the most significant driving forces for the IT sector and an increasing number of people want to be fully connected to work all of the time. However, the emergence of BYOD in the workplace is creating a real challenge for IT departments, with workers using their own unmanaged devices to access corporate networks and sensitive data.”
The solution, according to Blaxill, is a fundamental change in the core relationship between firms and their employees. Interaction is the key, and support services and incentives must be made available to bring all digital devices under one system and one set of rules.
Some companies are now providing their workforce with fit-for-purpose IT support, which offers every worker a system that is comparable with the assistance they would receive outside of work. The companies that offer real-time instant solutions to the digital problems of their workers’ devices will be the ones that effectively start to close down this potential threat.